


Groups

by LuciaWilt



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Religious Discussion, Serious Injuries, Slight Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2020-09-25 23:17:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20379766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: That expression; slightly manic in Claude’s striking eyes. Raphael was much smarter than he let on and he could not count the number of times he caught Claude rummaging through, let’s say, unassigned readings. The new leader of the Alliance had a particular fascination with religion and this new stranger speaking of studying such a topic clearly caught the Von Riegan’s attention.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so a big note I would like to address before we all go anywhere with this fic; she, the reader, is going to be more like Mark from The Blazing Blade. If she has a name, it will be something of a code that Claude gives her since she doesn't want to give her onw name out.

_ Raphael_

_ Guardian Moon_

There was a new cook in the dining hall. That was perhaps the first thing Raphael noticed at the beginning of the year. Garreg Mach had strange timeframes; that was for certain. One school year started on the first of the Guardian Moon and ended 365 days later on the same day. Why they chose that particular month, Raphael was unsure. He was unsure and was unlikely to ever figure out. But that was neither here nor there. The students of the three houses had a new chef in the kitchen and he was excited to see what she could cook; literally what she could bring to the table. 

With the snow flickering down from a clouded sky, nearly every student was packed into the large dining hall; often times many would take their meals out by the pond or even back to their rooms. Because of that, it was more packed and much louder than usual; kids excitedly talking about how the rest of their time at the monastery would go. Well, that’s what Raphael could hear. He was still waiting patiently in line. All the while, he continued to watch the new girl. 

She was younger; could not have been much older than say Sylvain. That, and she was tall; about Dimitri’s height actually, though she was not nearly as broad. There were no really discernable items of clothing she wore; just a plain pale tunic, dark pants tucked into light brown boots, and a heavy leather coat. Turned towards the counter with a large butcher knife in her hand, the woman tilted her head back and forth, a strange quizzical expression on her face. 

Raphael took another step forwards with his plate in his hand but never the less continued to watch her. His eyes flickered down to the food she seemed to be preparing and he noted they were simple vegetables and then it was his turn to not quite understand what was before him. It was not as though it was a difficult thing to prep. And weren’t most individuals that worked in the kitchen, well, good at cooking? He understood that students and staff often helped outa s well; Raphael and everyone else avoided the dining hall when Dimitri was behind the counter. However she had not been seen anywhere else outside of the dining hall. He could only assume that was the main place she worked at. 

The line moved again, Raphael following, and then he caught a shift in the corner of his eye. It was the woman. She had stepped back from the counter, moving around the ledge and heading to the door that lead out towards the pond. He glanced over his shoulder at this point and spotted most of the students watching as well. Not that he was all that shocked, but there were wildly differing expressions on the house leaders faces. 

As per usual, Edelgard seemed impenetrable. There was a wall surrounding her; and it was not just Hubert and Dorothea. Those pale eyes seemed even colder than the winter weather outside of the warm dining hall as she traced the newcomers movements heading out the door. 

Raphael expected Claude to have a sort of bemused expression and he did not disappoint. That same sort of scheming light shown in Claude’s own gaze; a strange smile twisting onto his lips. 

Finally Raphael glanced at Dimitri and blinked in surprise. Dimitri’s face was nearly blank, just watching the woman and eating bites slowly. It continued until she came back in and his eyes finally widened even a fraction. That was Raphael’s cue to turn; nearly falling over at what he saw. 

Oh yes she had returned to the dining hall. However this time she was not empty handed; not by a long shot. 

It had to be a good thing she was about 6 feet tall and as large as she was. She was dragging a full sized buck by the crown of the antlers. Blood was trailing on the stone ground out of the wound that probably killed the animal in the first place. Raphael could clearly see some students cough, choking on the beverage they just drank or the food they just consumed; not expecting for her to return with the dead animal either. 

Though she herself did not have a care in the world as to what she was doing. With a determined look on her face, she dragged it back around the counter and allowed the thing to fall limp onto the floor. That was followed by her lifting the front end of the buck so the head rested on the marble. At this point, it seemed everyone was enthralled as to what would happen next. Considering most of the students at Garreg Mach were noble born, it was doubtful they had ever seen someone prep the actual meat they ate. Being unaware of that was so far removed from anything Raphael was familiar with; considering before he arrived at the monastery he was often the one that did the hunting and the preparation for his family. 

A loud slamming and a crack brought him out of his thoughts; definitely a sound he was strikingly familiar with. And he was correct; looking up and seeing blood splattered about the area on the counter as well as on the woman. She had taken one of the largest cleavers he had ever seen in his life and brought it down with a thunderous swing. She had not made it through the bucks neck completely which only prompted her to swing the cleaver down again and again; each time the more ‘nose in the air’ nobles jumped. 

Raphael was familiar with the cracking sound of deer bones. He himself had to do the butchering when he was younger. It was not entirely shocking most of the occupants of the room had no idea what was going on; nor did they understand how bloody one really got during the process of prepping the food they were eating. 

By the time she was finished cutting the head off the deer, her tunic was covered in blood; some having splattered onto her face. All the while she kept a relatively neutral expression, just the barest hint of a smile knowing she was getting attention. Raphael had no doubt either Professor Manuela, Seteth, or even one of the knights would come running; whether that would be because of the slamming sound that had just reverberated around the dining hall or if some student had rushed to go get them. 

The two other chefs that worked there looked pretty much completely unfazed by what had just happened, and Raphael knew it was because they were more than used to such a display. Those two probably had to do the butchering more than once. 

So they continued to serve the students and the occasional guard, Raphael finally getting his food and he walked past the young woman. She was working on cleaning the skin off the buck when she looked up at him. 

Unlike how she had been staring at the deer before then, she actually gave him a pleasant smile, nodding in his direction. “Hello.” 

He could not help the slightly surprised expression that crossed his face. Her voice did not really match her appearance. “Hello.” He responded in kind, not entirely sure what to say but she just gave him another nod before continuing the butchering process. Raphael noted that she place the antlers to the side and he wondered as to what she was going to do with them when he turned to walk back towards the Golden Deer table. Well, there were not assigned seats in the dining hall but the houses tended to congregate towards one another. 

Claude and Ignatz were speaking with one another while the rest of the wild house was chattering about this and that. Raphael himself took the open spot across from Claude and when he finally sat down, his house leader’s attention whipped to his direction. “I see you spoke to our new…chef.” Claude said the word in that usually cat like tone. The burgeoning leader of the Alliance was a wily one, that was for sure. Not to mention his fascination with strange people AND strange things. Raphael nearly felt bad for the woman since she was soon to have Claude chitter chattering her ear off. Nearly.

But Raphael just laughed it off quietly and shrugged his shoulders. “Well not exactly. I just said hello and she said hello back; nothing too detailed. She seemed to be focused on her “job”.” He finished and it was punctuated by another slamming crack from the cleaver. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that she had in fact broken off the bucks front leg; causing more blood to spew across her cheek. At this point she looked a little deranged from the butchering she had completed. 

Claude was looking in her direction as well; well, all of them were. Though that only lasted until they heard the doors to the entrance hall slamming open. That in turn caused the occupants to swing their heads in that direction; spotting a fuming Seteth rushing in the woman’s direction. All the while she continued to cut up the raw meat until he was standing in front of the counter; arms crossed over his chest and booted foot tapping on the ground. 

“What in the world do you think you are doing?” He shouted, clear enough for all the students to hear and not caring that they pretty much all had gone quiet. The woman finished up what she was doing before setting the cleaver down. There was a smile that formed on her face but it was not the same she shared with Raphael. This one was clearly far more…pointed, fake. 

Raphael was almost concerned for Seteth’s safety if she had not put the cleaver down before brushing the blood off her hands and walking around the counter. “Well Seteth, I was just preparing the food as you asked me to.” 

The older man looked irate, like he was about to explode; yet he somehow kept from shouting. Not that it did any good; all the students were already listening to their conversation anyways. “I told you to serve the students in the dining hall and to prep food. I did not say to butcher a damned buck right in front of them WHILE they were eating!” Seteth clearly was at the end of his rope. He ended the sentence with a shout and his face was progressively growing redder and redder. All the while the woman simply lost the smile on her face and stood up a little straighter. At her full height she stood eye to eye with Seteth. 

Everyone watched her, seeing her reach out and clap her hands nearly against Seteth’s face when she spoke again. “And I told you when I first got here that I was no cook.” She pulled back, gesturing with her hands the entire time she spoke. “When Catherine and that man, I believe his name was Alois, saved me from those bandits and brought me here, I told you that I analyzed cults and new religious movements as well as do combat training at the academy I work at. Yet you stuck me here. I specifically told you that but you refused to let me speak with this Rhea you kept going on and on about.” The woman was level headed, nearly biting out her words quietly pointed at Seteth. She looked, clearly, like the one with the upper hand in the situation when Seteth glanced over his shoulder briefly seeing they had an audience. With that admission by her, everyone saw what Seteth had done; or well what he had not done. 

She got him hook, line, and sinker. He could not keep her in the dining hall at that point so he frowned and hunched his shoulders. “Very well.” Seteth said, voice far more level than it had been. His face was clearing up as well when she gave that same tainted smile. 

“Fantastic. Lead the way Seteth!” And just like that, Seteth was rushing her out of the dining hall and the noise flooded back in with the students ramping their conversations back up. Though it seemed as though all anyone was talking about was what they had just witnessed. When Raphael looked back towards the Golden Deer house leader, he felt a string of worry form in his stomach. 

That expression; slightly manic in Claude’s striking eyes. Raphael was much smarter than he let on and he could not count the number of times he caught Claude rummaging through, let’s say, unassigned readings. The new leader of the Alliance had a particular fascination with religion and this new stranger speaking of studying such a topic clearly caught the Von Riegan’s attention. 

All Raphael could do was sigh. It would be an interesting few years at the monastery, that was for sure. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, a part of the reason I hadn't updated in such a long time is because something went screwy with my switch and now the exhaust/air thing at the top is SO LOUD. so if anyone has any idea as to why that is happening totally hit me up.

_ Linhardt _

_Guardian Moon_

The library. It was one of the few places Linhardt felt comfortable, felt at ease. It was a rarity to find most of the students at the monastery in the library; giving Linhardt and everyone else that frequented the quiet room the space they needed to get their work done. It helped that Linhardt also enjoyed academic research; or at least academic research he could do on his own time and at his own pace. He was no Lysithea, Mercedes, or Edelgard, and he was not going to pretend such a thing either.

Of course the slow pace of the library was not always his and the monks alone. Quite often, late at night, he found himself joined by the one and only Claude Von Riegan. 

The leader of the Golden Deer House tried so hard to be such an enigma; to push everyone and anyone away from him. Linhardt had seen people do it before, and had seen people do it better. Of course Claude was very proficient at pushing others away; it was just that at his core, Linhardt could clearly see the young man yearned for companionship. He was like a dove that flew alone half the year and the other half was spent nesting with the love of its life. 

To Linhardt, Claude was not too much of a distraction. His ability to blend into the background, even with his foreign appearance, was something of a talent the Von Riegan perfected. That, and Claude actually was there to study; to mold and work his mind to something better; unlike most that fluttered in and out of the library at different intervals. 

The day was like many that had come before them. Claude walked in, that beaming smile on his face that was so aggressively practiced and perfected that Linhardt could not help but flinch for his fellow classmate. What had gone on in Claude’s life before he came to the monastery to create such a man?

As per usual, Claude skipped over most everything and headed to the literature on the church’s teachings. He pulled out stacks upon stacks of books; practiced with his movements. There were heavy tombs, dusty from misuse; there were thinner volumes that looked nearly brand new. 

Something else Linhardt could appreciate about the man was his gentle nature with the scripture and leather-bound books. Claude clearly understood the price, understood the value of what he carried in his arms. 

He walked back to the exact spot he took every time he entered the library, setting all his things down before pushing his face into the first book. From experience, Linhardt knew Claude would be in that exact position for hours on end before finally getting up and leaving once the light from the sun was LONG gone from hours past. 

Of course Linhardt should have known his peaceful pattern would not last for long. 

He glanced up at the entrance upon hearing footsteps he did not recognize. When he saw who it was, he understood why they sounded so foreign. It was the woman from the kitchen; the newcomer. 

She was still dressed in those plain clothes that Seteth quite clearly gave to her whenever she presumably first arrived at the monastery; though of course now the blood from the buck she had been slaughtering was gone. Her eyes trailed over the occupants of the room, some were staring at her and some were not, before she turned and started walking the outer rim of the room. Linhardt continued to observe her over the top of his own book. She was clearly interested in what she saw, her finger tips skimming the wood where the books were resting on each shelf. 

At least she knew not to touch the leather of the covers if she was not going to partake. That was one point in her favor in Linhardt’s eyes. 

He continued to observe her, watching as she seemingly read each spine of each book before shockingly enough, stopping in the section Claude had just been in. 

Clearly whatever she was seeing was piquing her interest. The expression which had been on the positive side of neutral, morphed into something neigh exuberant with excitement. Like a child in the bakery shops of the capitol, the woman crouched down and started from the bottom shelf; rapidly waving her finger back and forth. It was like she was absorbing the information through osmosis. Linhardt had observed very few people in his life to be so excited about literature. 

Of course Linhardt was not the only one in the library; was not the only student that is. 

It took no time at all for Claude to stand and make a beeline straight towards her. It would rather humorous, to see the every curious and wondering Claude to find a new interest. Linhardt watched him crouch down right down to her left. 

“Interested in the clergy are we? It is rather understandable, especially after dealing with Seteth for more than ten minutes.” Claude’s voice was clear and quiet. Linhardt was thankfully the monks that frequented this section of the monastery were not the biggest fans of how the church ran itself; or they would have given Claude a set of lashings for speaking about a church official in such a manner. 

Linhardt saw her jump slightly at Claude’s sudden appearance before settling down and turning towards him. For a moment she simply stared at the leader of the Golden Deer House, not really comprehending what she was seeing before her. She stood, staring at him and watching carefully as he slowly stood as well. 

The woman was taller, just by a bit, then Claude who stood before her.

Finally her face twisted into something Linhardt could only call bemused. “Hmm I guess you could say something like that.” She answered cryptically; though apparently it was more than enough for Claude. Mirroring her expression when she found the theology section, he grabbed her hand. 

“I heard you today when you were talking to Seteth. You said you studied religions where you come from? I’m something of a philosopher myself. If you have any questions, I would be more than open to answering them.” Linhardt could not help the rise of his eyebrows. He had never seen Claude talk so quickly. He was nearly stumbling over himself to get it all out; so excited for the new “shiny toy” he got to play with so to speak. 

It did not take long for him to sit the woman down across from him at his usual table. By that point, Linhardt had lost most interest in continuing his eavesdropping. While he would continue to observe the woman for however long she stayed at the monastery, Claude would likely take “good care” of her. 

~’~

Both were a little confused as to what they should do about the other. One, the head of an esteemed House at one of the best schools in the world; the other nothing but a drifter, a stray cat picked up by the scruff of her neck. The “mercy of the school” was what Seteth had said. 

Yet there seemed to be something that bridged their two ever so bizarre worlds. 

They both read quietly after Claude had rapidly explained the purpose of each heavy-set tomb sitting before them. The language was similar enough to things she had seen in the past that she could understand it, thankfully. Of course, Claude had been more than happy to translate as he had explained. 

“Would…” He trailed off, causing her head to tilt up with questioning eyes where it was resting in her hand. They must have made quite the pair sitting there in the library. 

“Hm?” She hummed the question for him to continue; all the while trying to take in every little nook and bend of his face. Claude, that’s what his name was. Claude Von Riegan was very handsome. Everything about him tended to pull a person in; but it was perhaps his eyes that caught her the most. Like seafoam, like rolling shimmering grass in an ever-expanding field; he looked back and forth between the pages of his book before glancing in her direction. 

He saw someone that had an open face. Claude saw a book; an encyclopedia of knowledge that had been yet untapped and un-poisoned by the church. Maybe it was a blessing in itself that Seteth was the first church official she interacted with; he tended to put the best off their lunch. 

“I was wondering if you could teach me… if you could teach me how to study religion… to study religious texts and movements in a more official manner? I’ve been doing it on my own for years but, there is so much I could have missed, so much that I did not know about.” 

She blinked at his request at first. Clearly, she had found herself at some sort of college. Most people she had seen were 18 and older. Yet this was obviously not like any college she went to for her own degree. They were more focused on sword fighting than writing papers. 

She shifted before leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. Honestly, she had no idea how long she would be here, or even where “here” was. There were too many unknown variables at play, so there was only so much she could do at one time. 

Yet there was a beautiful opportunity sitting before her now. Claude Von Riegan, from what Seteth told her, was going to lead his country once his grandfather died. He was a noble, someone with power and influence. If need be, someone that could save her ass if she got on the wrong side of someone else’s. Plus, she did not exactly want to get rusty in her own academic pursuits. She may be out of college where she was from but that was no excuse to go lax in working her mind. 

For the first time since she arrived, she let a genuine smile settle on her face. “Well Claude, I think you have a new teacher.” Claude smiled back but froze when she lifted a hand. “But!” He straightened up in his chair at the tone of her voice; definitely her teacher side coming out. “I need something from you. I can only go so far in teaching someone of your caliber without knowing the lay of the land; I teach you how to study and learn about theology, you teach me the history of this land.” 

She almost thought he would refuse for a split second but Claude just nodded; a smile that did not quite reach his eyes shaping his mouth. “That sounds like a deal…. I don’t even know your name.” Claude finished with a laugh. It was the truth. He had no idea what to call her, yet she seemed to know who he was. 

He watched as she tilted her head, seemingly out of confusion and thought, before righting out and nodding. “Mark. Call me Mark.” 

Not the strangest name he had ever heard, but it was definitely up there. “Alright Mark, I’m Claude Von Riegan. It is an honor to make your acquaintance and I am delighted to learn from you going forwards.”

Mark chuckled under her breath as she shook his hand that had been extended over all the heavy books they had laid out before them. Yes he was calculated to a fault, just as she had suspected of him when she watched him in the dining hall. Claude was a thinker, a strategist. He would have been quite the asset where she was from. 

“Yes of course.” Mark said before standing and pushing her chair in. The entire time, Claude stared at her. Had he said something wrong? It clicked in his mind when she glanced out the window on the other side of the library; the sun having gone down presumably hours ago. 

That was good, however, that she blended right into his studies. He could not have interacted with someone for a long time if they were loud and distracting. That was half the reason why he rarely worked on anything with his fellow House members. Rude and distant perhaps, but it was worth it. He would get as much out of this education he had been afforded as he could. 

Mark started to turn away before she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Oh and Claude? I want a twenty page paper on the history of farming in Fodlan by the time we meet again.”

As she disappeared out of the room, Claude leaned back, arms crossed over his chest with a wicked grin on his lips. Well damn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no one:
> 
> me: but how could I work in my SAMA (Satori Alternatives to Managing Aggression) training into the Three Houses world?

_Ingrid_

_ Lone Moon_

So Mark was now working as a combat trainer at the Officer’s Academy. Who would have thought it would end up like that, especially with how she had spoken to Seteth the other week? Apparently, she would be working mainly with the Golden Deer House; but she would also swing around to do supplemental studying when Alois, Shamir, or Catherine was teaching, assumedly because Seteth didn’t trust her fully still. Honestly if Ingrid were in the older man’s shoes, she would probably do the same thing. Nevertheless there she was, early to the training field. 

Of course Ingrid’s house was early as well, but that was neither here nor there. 

The new comer was dressed sort of like the rest of the Blue Lions, though while most of them were adorned with symbols of nobility; she was still in a set of plain pants, tunic, and boots. Really Mark reminded Ingrid of Shamir, if just a little more sociable than the foreign archer. 

Mark was humming an unfamiliar tun, swinging a training spear back and forth as though she were touching one for the first time oddly enough. “Damn aren’t we lucky.” Sylvain muttered under his breath with a smirk. Their group leisurely approached where she was near the middle of the field. “I was hoping she would stick around.” Ingrid caught Felix’s angry expression on the other side of Sylvain, clearly annoyed with where the red heads mind currently was. She glanced over and noted the others were whispering quietly behind Dedue and Dimitri; both of which had rather stern expressions on their faces. Well, Dedue’s was stern. There was a practiced flat look on Dimitri; like he was trying and succeeding on blocking the rest of the world out. 

Finally their little group made it to where she was. For a moment, they all stood there in an awkward silence. She held her back to them, rotating the spear in her hand. That continued for a few more beats before she spun about; much faster than Ingrid had been expecting. The metal practice spear in her hand avoided everyone else and swung in an arch directly towards Dimitri. Being the trained solider that he was, Dimitri was quickly able to side step out of the way; letting the spear slam into the stone where he had been standing. Once the dust settled, everyone stared up at her, expressions ranging from mild shock and interest to outright rage. “So you are as fast as Hilda said you were.” 

Mark had a sort of manic look in her eyes. It reminded Ingrid quite a bit of Hanneman… and a dash of Claude as well. 

Dimitri shifted before settling on both of his feet. “That is a most unorthodox form of introducing oneself.” She tilted her own head to the side, at the same time Dimitri did.

“Well the laws about harming people are a little laxer here when where I come from. I already kicked Claude’s ass a week and a half ago.” She said with a smile on her lips. They all shifted as she pulled the spear back to her side. Ingrid saw their faces; saw how they were trying to hold back a peal of laughter at the thought of her putting Claude to the ground. Mark leaned against her spear as her eyes moved over each of them. “I know the Golden Deer by now by heart; but I don’t know many of you. How about we introduce ourselves before Alois gets here and we start?” Mark said before rather unceremoniously falling back onto the ground, a cloud of dust billowing up around her. 

Ingrid was stunned. At least that was one thing she now knew; someone of noble birth would not so readily throw themselves onto the dusty ground. When her eyes shifted up, clearly indicating she was waiting for the rest of them; the Blue Lions settled to the weed striking cobblestone, one by one, albeit a little unsurely. “Perfect. You go ahead and start.” Mark said motioning towards Annette. The petite red head looked flustered by the sudden attention but no worse for wear in the long run. These were her closest classmates after all. 

So that’s how they went about their little circle, each of them saying their name, where they were from, and what weapons or techniques they were proficient at. Honestly, as much as Ingrid didn’t want to, she was enjoying the strange little practice. It was strikingly intimate and loads of fun; even if they basically all grew up together in Faerghus. 

By the time it got to Felix who was seated to Ingrid’s left, the swordsman looked less than amused. While he divulged all that Mark asked for, he quickly went onto a mini rant. “This is all such a waste of time. You are the only newcomer here!” He all but shouted, flinging his arm in Mark’s direction. The woman, who now that Ingrid looked at much closer could not even be 4 years Sylvain’s senior, just had a patient look on her face. She didn’t look patronizing or angry; just letting Felix finish. There was definitely a teacher-esque quality about her. “The rest of us have known each other for most of our lives; why don’t we just start training already?” 

With that saintly patience Ingrid had noticed, Mark simply sighed before clearly formulating a response that would please everyone present. “Felix, I understand your concerns; and don’t worry, these sorts of days won’t happen anymore since we have formally introduced ourselves now.” Everyone looked around, clearly used to Felix’s outbursts when he wasn’t training about wanting to train. However, they were not used to the professors and faculty members not just rolling their eyes. This was one of the first times someone from the Officer’s Academy took the time to give Felix a full and thought out answer to his angry questioning. Mark turned so she was fully facing Felix even if the young swordsman was crossing his arms with a petulant pout. 

From what I have been told, you all will be leading hundreds of men and women into battle. So, Felix answer me this. Do you feel like your combat skills are better when your muscles are tense and you are aggravated and made nervous by every noise? Or do you fight better when you can step back and take a deep breath? Observe the situation and take in your entire field of view?” 

Ingrid was pretty shocked as she watched the proceedings. Mark had both answered Felix’s frustrated question in a nondemanding way while also diffusing his angry musings. Her eyes shifted to Felix, watching as he hesitated with jerky movements but clearly was letting down a bit of that first wall he always put up with new people. While he didn’t verbally answer her question, Mark clearly got an answer from Felix’s body language. Mark allowed that conversation to finish with a quick nod before turning towards Ingrid. 

“And you?” 

“My name is Ingrid Brandl Galatea. I’m from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus; specifically, the County of Galatea. I work with spears and lances mainly; though at some point I would like to advance to a Valkyrie.” 

“That’s wonderful Ingrid. Thank you for sharing.” She paused for a second before nodding. “I will go by Mark for now; I’m not sure I trust this place and all ya’ll enough to divulge my full name, especially since I don’t have all the information, I need to make a thorough conclusion. I will be training mainly with the Golden Deer House as I have been, but I will help out the other instructors when called upon.” Ingrid noted she did not bring up the theology and religious digging she had been seen doing with Claude but didn’t bring that up then; especially not with Mercedes sitting with them. 

But it seemed Ashe wasn’t going to let one thing go. “Ya’ll?” He asked, his accent making the word that slipped from her mouth so strange and disjointed. Ingrid had taken note of how she spoke; clearly not from around North nor central Fódlan where they currently were. Mark looked over at him and shrugged. 

“Ah, that means ‘you all’. It’s just a contraction; you pick it up down south where I am from.” 

“So you are from the Alliance?” It was Dimitri that spoke this time. He still had that strangely closed off look on his face but there was a hint of interest at finding out anything about the mysterious Mark. 

But the woman simply moved her head back and forth like she was trying to get a crick out of her neck before shrugging. “I guess you could say that.” Mark looked back towards Ingrid. “You should be able to work with Dimitri,” It seemed as though the “introductions” were over as the two blondes eyes met. “It’s always good to practice with someone either your same size or larger. Your opponents aren’t just going to neatly line up; weight class to weight class.” Ingrid never thought of it that way, having always had to settle with sparring against Mercedes or even Annette. Those two were good in a fight, and it was always good to practice against spell casters, but they never were able to get the drop on Ingrid like she wanted; and honestly needed. 

“It looks like the other House is filing in,” She said, starting to stand. Ingrid looked over her should and spotted Raphael and Ignatz entering the training field; surely with the rest of the Golden Deer following behind them. More often than not they were either paired with the Black Eagles or the Blue Lions, they being the Golden Deer; especially since there were more long-range specialist in the Alliance House than not. 

The rest of the Blue Lions stood, following suit behind her. “Here, pair up for your basic warm ups.” Mark turned towards Dimitri before continuing. “Dimitri with me for a bit; I’d like to work with you for a while.” 

They all did as she said, making sure to mix up the heights and weights of those they paired up with. With the Golden Deer there, it made it easier to find a new partner they never had previously. Felix and Leonie were beside Ingrid and Ignatz though it was hard not to pay attention to Mark and Dimitri. Their movements were so fluid, nearly dancing around one another while the practice spears spun about. “She is getting the lay of out movements.” Felix said, clearly having given up the pretense of sparring with Leonie; though the red head had stopped as well. Ingrid knew Felix really wanted to train but his innate curious to everything new was getting in the way. 

“She’s good.” Leonie responded with awe in her voice. Ingrid herself could not help but agree. Mark clearly knew what she was doing, her movements practice and her superior speed quite obvious. Others were watching now as Mark began to gain the upper hand. 

It didn’t take long after that for her to get his feet out from underneath him. Dimitri fell to his knees, barely catching his face before it smashed against the stone ground. Mark herself was out of breath but didn’t look too terrible. She made a swift flick of her foot, kicking the spear that Dimitri had been using a little away from him before tapping his back lightly with the one in her hand. “Alright. Up Prince Dimitri.” 

How odd, Ingrid thought to herself. It was like Mark had become a different person in those few moments. Her voice was stern as she commanded Dimitri; making sure not to sound angry but let him know what she wanted. Dimitri clearly was going through something as he reached out to grab the spear, keeping his face down and his hair curtained over his eyes. “This isn’t good.” She heard Felix say beside her; but she didn’t put two and two together at first.

“Come on Dimitri.” Mark said with a little more force. 

What happened next… well Ingrid should have realized what month; what day it was. The 15th of the Lone Moon, she should have known.

Dimitri was too fast for any of them to stop as he jumped to his feet and bodily threw Mark over his shoulder; throwing her a good 3 to 4 meters. Mark’s back slammed against the pillar and she fell to the ground in a heap as she groaned. 

It was the anniversary of the Tragedy of Duscur. 

Dimitri crossed the distance easily, quickly grabbing Mark’s hair and yanking her head back. From where they were standing, none of them could see Dimitri’s face but he was surely lost to the past by that point. Mark had blood dripping from her lip as she whispered something to Dimitri, surely trying to bring him back down. Alas it was too late. He slammed the spear with so much force that Mark had been thrown into that the weapon snapped in two with a loud pop. 

“He’s going to kill her.” Felix said almost flatly beside Ingrid. By that point, Ingrid knew it was way past time for them to step in. She started running towards the two of them; not all that surprised she saw a flash of gold from Claude beside her as he sped in their direction as well. 

Ingrid felt her stomach drop. They were going to be too late; Dimitri having already swung the broken half of the spear back. The Prince was going to regret this action for the rest of his life. And as he brought the broken bit back down, it was like everything was going in slow motion.

That’s when an armored hand grabbed Dimitri’s arm. 

It was Alois. Ingrid had no idea where he had come from, basically popping up out of nowhere, but she was never so glad to see the knight in her entire life. He had a far sterner look on his face than he ever had before. “That’s enough Prince Dimitri.” 

Alois’s voice seemed to have snapped Dimitri out of it, Ingrid watching as he shook his head like smoke was dissipating from his eyes. “What…I…” Finally he noticed what was in his other hand as he dropped Mark; the woman falling down to the ground as she spit out more blood. “I’m…” Dimitri clearly didn’t even know where to begin or know what to say. All he could mutter out, from what Ingrid caught, was a hurried apology. He turned and rushed out of the training field with Mercedes and Dedue hot on his tail. That left Claude to run towards Mark, Ingrid following after a little slower. 

Alois was helping her up with a firm hand on her arm as she grunted in pain. “No I’m fine.” Ingrid heard Mark say. Some of the other students were shuffling closer but knew that they shouldn’t push the limit. 

Ingrid watched as Claude moved around Mark, muttering something as he lifted the back of her shirt and inspected where she had hit the pillar. 

Well…

They were much more familiar with one another than they had been at the beginning. Of course, it could just be Claude’s leadership coming out, making sure one of his people was safe. But the way he brushed his hand on her back spoke of something a little different than a leader and their solider. 

“No you aren’t. Marianne!” Claude shouted and the quiet healer rushed over. There was blood on Claude’s hand. Not a lot but definitely enough to be cause for alarm. 

“Damn.” Alois said something else after Mark cursed but Mark just shook her head. “No. You start your class. I was the one that was pushing him; and I should have known something was wrong. He hasn’t looked quite as dour and upset in the past two months. It’s my fault.”

Ingrid wanted to say something else, to say anything; but Alois did as she said and started the lesson, making it so Ingrid had to let the incident drift into her recent memory. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so I'm playing a little fast and loose with the geography here. Since Fódlan looks SO MUCH like Europe; I am betting on the rest of the world looking like "ours". That along with the days matching the Gregorian calendar. So by that logic, I'm making Dagda South America and there will be a unknown country North that is there version of North America. So, that is where our lovely "Mark" is from. 
> 
> Also this takes place directly after the first chapter. It should be the only time we jump back instead of jumping forwards, but no promises.

_Rhea_

_ Guardian Moon_

The quiet of the monastery was something she enjoyed the most. Not silence, not chatter or the whipping of loud ocean winds; nor the growls and gasping of wild animals. It was just… quiet. Rhea could still hear the sounds from the town that surrounded her domain in the valley below. She could also hear the chitter chatter of the students and faculty that worked within the holy walls. Much of it, if not all if it, reminded Rhea of the sanctuary; of Zanado. Often times when she found herself missing that place and could not find time to visit, she would sit on the rooftop garden; just take in the world around her through the sounds of the people and the sight of them all running back and forth in the courtyards, the stables, the training grounds, and anywhere and everywhere within the holy monastery walls. 

Today, there was something different. Rhea could feel it in the air; the way it shifted and pulled around her. Even without going to pray and to consult the waters she often used to scry, Rhea understood change was in the air. Whether it was fortuitous or not; well that would have to be seen. For the moment, she shifted off her bench in her room; standing to get dressed. This early in the morning, most did not come to visit her. However she had a feeling it would be best if she were prepared for anything. 

Just the other morning, only a couple of days prior, Catherine and Alois had gone out to clear out the grounds around the school of any dangers. Assuming nothing went too terribly wrong, they would be back soon enough. And to bring back the peace with them, Rhea thought to herself as she finished getting ready; only the crown she wore resting on the table before her. 

It was then that there was a knock on the door. Three consecutive quick raps, indicating it was Seteth that was waiting for her. While it was rather normal for him to help her in the mornings here and there, there was… something different. Rhea forwent the crown since Seteth had seen her without it in the past and went to open the door. As she suspected, it was indeed Seteth at the door. However he was not alone this time. To his right and slightly behind him stood a young woman. She couldn’t have been much older than Mercedes; definitely younger than any staff Rhea had on her roster. 

She was dressed in plain clothes though they did not look quite “right” on her; like she wasn’t used to such fabrics. At first her eyes were shifting around the room behind Rhea before they landed on the Archbishop. While Seteth was frowning like he did not want to be there, the young woman seemed… seemed suspicious. She narrowed her eyes for half a second at Rhea before making her face settle into something that could be approximately a smile.

“I am sorry Rhea, however you are requested for an audience.” Seteth bit out his words like they were painful and Rhea knew he was talking about the young woman behind her. Since Rhea had never seen her before, she had to wonder if it was a new student that was wishing to join the Officers Academy or if it was something else entirely. 

“That is more than alright.” She turned to go grab the crown off the table, putting it on her head before returning to their side. “We can go to the audience chamber. Please follow me.” So from there she lead the two of them down the steps and through the hallways until coming upon the large room. From there, Seteth took his spot beside Rhea so the two could turn to the young woman. 

“I apologize but I asked for an audience with the Archbishop. Last time I checked that was just one person.” The woman said, giving Seteth a look that even Rhea would have stepped back at. It seemed as though she was missing a large chunk of the conversation since Seteth clearly was not cowed by it. 

“Well you will have to put up with my appearance here. I am the Archbishops right hand; if you want a conversation with her, they you get a conversation with the both of us. Anyways, I am not leaving you alone with Rhea; we have no idea who you are and what you are capable of.” 

“Jesus, I already told you I can’t do any sort of “magic”,” She said, motioning around the word in the air with quotation marks. It was a strange sort of movement that Rhea herself could not help but smile at. “I also don’t have any weapons on me. You even searched me.” Alas, her patience for Seteth’s ability to fight with anyone and everyone over ANYTHING was rather thin that morning. So before he could respond with his own retort, she cut him off with a raise of her hand. 

“It is quite alright Seteth. You may wait out in the hallway if that appeases you? That way if anything goes wrong, you are close enough.” It was clear Seteth wanted to argue but he held his tongue to retain some of his dignity. Once he was out of the room, with the girl’s eyes tracing his movements all the way to the door, Rhea spoke up once again. “Now, what is it that you wished to see me for my child? You are new here to the monastery I know that much. Are you here to join the academy? Or is there something else you are searching for?” 

She paused, clearly thinking about what she wanted to say. In a way, the woman standing before her reminded Rhea quite a bit of Claude; the way you could see the wheels turning when really thinking on something. Finally, she turned to face Rhea fully. “For right now, I was just hoping I could find a job here. I’m not exactly… from around here.” 

Hmm.

The pause, the hesitation; it had Rhea looking deeper at her. She bore no crest of royalty or nobility; not that it was rare for people not of noble birth to find their way through these walls. It was still a church after all; and with a church came helping those that needed it. But the way she was so secretive. “I see. Well there are always positions open. How long have you been here?” 

Sure Rhea could just ask Seteth or the others since one of them would know when this new girl showed up, but she always tried to get the information she needed from the source. That way things wouldn’t be so quite diluted. “Actually Alois and Catherine found me in the woods. They said I could stay here at the monastery until…” But she trailed off, clearly indicating she did not want to divulge any more information. While Rhea would have usually been worried at such a display, she honestly felt as though this woman was telling the truth when she had spoken to Seteth about the magic and the weapons. It truly did not seem as though she could wield such power. 

But brute strength and fighting skill wasn’t the only thing in a warrior’s toolkit. 

So Rhea smiled and nodded, taking a step closer to the girl. “I did not know they found someone in need during their most reason security rounds. Well if you wish to stay, you are more than welcome. What did you do before you came here to Garreg Mach?”

“Well, I was sort of a religious studies teacher; a theology professor of sorts. That and I helped with my students physical training, hand to hand combat and the like.” 

Now that was intriguing. While there were no professor positions open between the three houses, there was always room for supplemental aide. That, and to have another person spreading the teachings of Seiros? It truly was a strangely auspicious day for the church. Rhea had not been expecting to stumble upon someone that could add to the ranks of the Knights of Seiros.

It was true, that she could not fully trust this person still, but closer relationships were built on stranger things. Plus, she was young, still in her prime; if Rhea could get her on the churches side earl enough, she could have something of an apostle for a great period of time. “That is wonderful. Our students are always in need of help; and actually there is one house in particular that you could fit right in with. The Golden Deer are rather focused on long range weaponry as well as magic; they lack in the physical strength and hand to hand combat you spoke of. For now, you can work directly with them.”

For the first time since meeting the young woman, she broke into something that could be a true smile that even reached her eyes. “Thank you Lady Rhea.” 

There was half a second where both of them paused, simply taking in the energy around one another. Perhaps that’s what swayed Rhea. There was a sort of energy about her that didn’t scream BETRYAL or ENEMY. “While you are working with the Golden Deer, you could also work on relaying scripture to the students and other faculty as well.” Not that the faculty needed the lessons, but Rhea just wanted to put it out there. 

Yet when she looked at the young woman’s face, she saw confusion printed there. “Um.” 

“Yes child?” 

“Well… I don’t know really, anything, about your religion. The Church of…something, what was it that Catherine and Aloise said?” She muttered quietly to herself, completely missing the shocked expression on Rhea’s face. 

To know nothing about the Church of Seiros; that was nearly unheard of. While Rhea wondered how she was able to avoid anything, literature or images of Seiros; she also had to count her blessings. It truly was an auspicious day to find someone she could mold for the sake of the church. “I see. Where are you from my child?” Rhea asked in an attempt to ease the young woman before her; leading her to the small side office she would use during the day. There was a world map there in her desk and she pulled it out when the girl followed her in. “Please.” The Archbishop motioned for her to come around the desk and point towards the location of her origin. 

Rhea suspected she was not from Fódlan; the chances of someone not knowing of Seiros and being born in the nation were slim to none. There was a chance she was from Almyra, but she did not look much like most Almyrans. Though of course Rhea didn’t look like many people from Fódlan ; but that was neither here nor there. 

There was a moment of hesitation on the young woman’s part, prompting Rhea to look up. She appeared to have seen a ghost when looking at the world map, letting a curl of confusion and curiosity swirl in Rhea’s stomach; though she allowed her to take her time. After a few more seconds, the woman glanced at Rhea out of the corner of her eye. “Would you point out where we are right now? This nation is called Fódlan correct?” 

Yet another layer to the puzzle. Rhea gently pointed her delicate long finger towards the middle of Fódlan; where Garreg Mach was located. That did nothing to ease the worried look on her face but it finally prompted her to point towards her own origins. 

“There. This is where I’m from.” 

She was pointing towards the lands North of Dagda. 

Lands that had been unexplored and uncharted for the past 1000 years. 

Lands that for the longest time had only been called “The Woods”. Rhea was stunned, not sure how to continue the conversation. Was she lying? It was not as though Rhea could call her out on it, that wasn’t quite a “saintly” thing to do. And while she truly believed “The Woods” were uninhabited, it was likely people lived there all along; prospering and thriving. Perhaps they were allied with Dagda, perhaps not. There was not much Rhea could do about it for the moment. She nodded instead. “I see.” There was no way she was going to let this woman run from Garreg Mach now; there was too much to discover. “Well that would explain why you do not know much of Seiros and her followers. There is too much to discuss about that here and now; we can speak of this later. I will help you along the way.” 

Rhea walked the young woman out of the office and towards the doors where she knew Seteth was waiting. “Please, stay as long as you need to. You are always welcome here my child. Though perhaps I should know of your name before you go.” 

She paused, waiting with her hand on the door knob. Finally, the young woman glanced over her shoulder, that strained smile back on her lips. “For now you can call me Mark.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't mind me, just waiting for maintenance to come fix my closet light

_ Lone Moon_

_ Sylvain_

The stables were one of, if not THE, favorite place Sylvain found at the Garreg Mach. Perhaps one could blame it on his noble upbringing; how for his entire life he had been practicing equestrian activities. Perhaps one could blame it on his aspirations on becoming a great knight. Either way, he oved the stables. The mounts never judged for such petty things like crests and the like. Sylvain honestly spent most of his time with his horse Agatha. He could understand her far better than he understood everyone else. 

Well, Felix was not included in that population; he was an allusive singular account. Their bond from growing up together was so strong, verbal communication was not always needed. 

“Just another day huh girl?” Sylvain asked, brushing her soft black fur. Her neck felt so warm; so alive and sturdy beneath his free hand. He had let Marianne braid the horses hair a handful of days ago for a end of the year celebration and it made him smile just thinking about it. “You look real pretty don’t you?” He made quick work of brushing the rest of her body before collecting the pail of water with honey and tea tree oils in it. Sylvain grabbed the soft cotton cloth, then got to work bathing Agatha. 

She clearly appreciated the action Sylvain was taking to clean her. Evern from where he was standing, without an ear pressed to her side, he could hear a low neighing whinny. 

Though he could understand her happiness. Being personally bathed; basically massaged and having your hair brushed? Yeah, Sylvain would be on cloud nine as well. 

“Shit.” A relatively familiar voice broke him out of his thoughts, out of the daydreams he had been currently living in. From where he was standing in Agatha’s stall, he could see the open stable doors and the light flooding in from outside, but not much else. He had definitely heard that voice though; so, Sylvain leaned on the stall door, looking out into the main large walkway. 

There she was; Mark that is. She was glancing back and forth, looking very relaxed; far more relaxed than she had been that day at the training yard. Sylvain could still see her slamming into the pillars that surrounded the training grounds. Even when all the Golden Deer huddled around her to make sure she wasn’t hurt TOO much, Mark had still looked upset. “Up on your feet already?” Mark clearly had not been expecting anyone else to be in the stables from the way she jumped. He was honestly surprised she was able to walk without needing to pass out or vomit. Dimitri had done a number on her; fully throwing her across the grounds that day. When Marianne had been healing her, Sylvain caught sight of the giant black and blue bruise already forming around the bloody split skin. 

"Oh Sylvain, hello.” Mark responded, quickly letting that neutral smiling mask back on her face. That’s something Sylvain noted in the past couple of months; how she always put on a face when interacting with others. Sylvain recognized the inquisitive and searching expression she wore when no one was “looking”. It honestly reminded Sylvain of the Golden Deer house leader. Nevertheless, she walked over to where he was, standing about a couple of steps away from the stall door where he was leaning. 

Sylvain didn’t bring up how he was basically doing what he did to flirt with a shy girl. He was trying to make her as comfortable as possible; to appear welcoming and open. Meanwhile, Mark was looking around, observing everything that was going on before her eyes landed on Sylvain and the horse behind him. “What are you doing?” He could not help but laugh at her question. It should probably have been pretty obvious for an academic like her. 

And she was an academic, there was no doubt about that. Sylvain had seen her debate the merits of taxing nobles that made 100,000 gold pieces or more in a year and the consequential outcome towards the everyday citizens that lived in that nobles territory; along with the ways of how to spend that money, many of which counted for the hairbrained schemes of educating the general populous to the more logical rebuilding of infrastructure in Fódlan. The whole time she had been discussing that with a flustered Ferdinand, she had also been listening intently to Claude’s discussion of Seiros’ first ten divine proclamations and their subsequent spreading of peaceful and war mongering ideologies across the land. 

“I’ve been cleaning Agatha.” He said, motioning towards the large black war horse behind him with a tilt of his head. At the same time, he opened the stall door which allowed her to follow him in. It was clear Mark had been around horses at least once in her life with the way she approached Agatha.

“Is she yours?” Mark asked while also brushing her hand over the stallions nose. Sylvain couldn’t help but notice Mark was a rather beautiful woman; and he beside Agatha who Sylvain adored dearly, Sylvain felt a warmth in his chest. There was something possessive; like seeing a stunning “date” on his arm. Over the weeks she has been with them, they had grown closer and closer; much closer than anyone else outside the Golden Deer house she tended to hover around and help rather exclusively. 

He found out much about her; how she liked her tea, that she had a sweet tooth but liked food so spicy it made anyone from north of the Alliance sweat, and how she loved the sun and the wind. Sylvain found out she could debate social and religious theories with the best of them. It was no wonder Claude looked so starry eyed all the time; she was basically his perfect partner. Not to mention now Seteth had a perpetual scowl on his face. 

“Yep. Came with me from back home. Agatha has been with me for years; basically grew up with me, Felix, Ingrid, and Dimitri.” Sylvain moved with Mark, standing beside her as she rubbed her hand back and forth over Agatha’s flank. “I plan on fighting on horseback at some point in the future; she will be my closest ally when that time comes.” Mark made a humming noise in the back of her throat before glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He watched her closely, still brushing her hand through Agatha’s soft fur. It was as he watched her that an idea came to him. 

“You want to go for a ride?” The words were out of him before he could stop himself. Of course how he said it, it would have gotten any old maiden off the streets when he went on a “flirting tear”. Alas, she was not some illiterate tavern girl swayed by flowery words. Mark was different; smart and oddly enough, did not care about the social status of crests. She had explained multiple times she just wanted to know about them for academic purposes and how they were intertwined with the religious and social structures of Fódlan. Of course, there was always the chance she was not telling the truth; but he felt as though she were being honest with him. 

Mark blinked for a moment before shifting, looking at Sylvain with a sort of truthful smile. “I haven’t ridden a horse since I was a little girl. I’m not sure I would be any good at it.” Ah, she didn’t understand what he was asking her to do. Now it was Sylvain’s turn to smirk.

“No, I meant do you want to go on a ride with me?” Again, there was a pause as she looked from Agatha to Sylvain and back. The wheels were turning rapidly in her mind, that curious and searching expression finding her face once again. If he had offered such a thing to one of his ladies of the week, they surely would have flushed red and fluttered their eyelashes in coy “embarrassment”. Alas Mark just tilted her head. 

“Sure.” Mark said, dragging out the “e” for a few extra seconds that was purely necessary. Sylvain simply smiled. 

“Let me finish really quick and then we can go. Can you go grab my saddle? It’s the one with the brown leather and the blue stitching in the middle.”

The two of them made quick work and before long they had prepped Agatha for the ride. If anyone asked, Sylvain would happily admit he was showing off when he tugged her up after he already mounted Agatha. The little gasp of surprise, the breaking of Mark’s mask, was totally worth it. That and feeling her chest press against his back as he wrapped her arms around his waist. “You ready?” He asked with a smile even though he was already moving Agatha towards the stable doors. It was comedic in a sense, how she tightened her arms around his waist. 

It seemed as though she had not been lying when she said she had not ridden a horse since she was a little girl. It kind of felt like he was riding with someone completely unaccustomed to horseback riding. Not that he was complaining though. What with the way she squeezed closer and closer, like she was trying to basically morph into his back. “Sure.” Mark’s little peep came out right as Sylvain started to pick up Agatha’s speed from a casual walk to a trot. He caught sight of Felix rolling his eyes and Dimitri giving him a sort of strained smile near the gates. No use in gallivanting with a pretty girl on the church grounds now was there? 

Once they were outside the large gates and on the large clearing to the south of the monastery, Sylvain knew it was time. He flipped the reins, gave a quick kick of his heels, and Agatha seamlessly flew into a gallop. “Sylvain!” Behind him Mark gave a loud shout but she didn’t seem mad; simply surprised by the change in pace. Of course, Sylvain himself simply laughed joyfully as the three of them flew threw the open field. It didn’t take long at all for Mark to join in on the laughter as well.

By the time they got to the wooded area surrounding Garreg Mach, the laughter had died down but the smiles had not. Again, their conversation was effortless, like the two of them had known each other for years and not just a few months. It was strange; Sylvain only ever had a similar feeling towards Felix and Ingrid. There was a part of him that wondered if he was almost betraying those two for making a new connection, but he also knew they had formed new friendships of their own; well Ingrid had, Felix’s “progress” was up in the air. 

The sun was setting when they made it back onto the grounds and into the stables, casting everything an orangey glow. It made Sylvain’s hair look like phoenix flames; or at least that’s what he had been told multiple times in the past. Whether that was true or now, well he had no idea. 

“My god I haven’t had that much fun in ages.” Mark laughed as she let Sylvain slide of the horse first. Once he was down on the ground, he helped her as well. He placed his hands on her hips; again, he would not be afraid to admit he did it on purpose. It kind of forced her to slide down the horse and into his space. 

Hey, he saw a pretty person, he had to flirt. And with her still laughing and looking up at him with those relaxed eyes, he could not help but smile back at her. For a moment it was soft, like a new love or a first crush. It gave Sylvain a sort of new wave of energy for the rest of the year; a spell that put wind beneath his wings as they stared at one another, just a hairsbreadth away from each other. 

The sound of Ashe and Mercedes right outside the stables broke whatever it was though. Mark gave a soft awkward chuckle before stepping back, Sylvain’s hand moving from her hips to grab at her hand before she could move too far away. 

“Thank you. Thank you for today. It was fun.” Sylvain finally was able to get the words out. He wondered if Agatha had fun as well. Honestly he was sure she did; she always like being able to go for a quick run, unbridled by the walls of Garreg Mach. 

Mark herself gave him a quick smile before pushing herself up on her tiptoes. It was brief, but it was something as she kissed his cheek then pulled away again. On Sylvain’s part, their hands stayed connected for longer than was necessary, he knew that; but it was hard to let her go. 

“You as well Sylvain. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And like that, Sylvain watched as she slipped from his grasp and out the stable doors; neither away of a certain Alliance member watching like a hawk. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is Byleth!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Edelgard :0

_ Great Tree Moon _

_ Byleth_

Garreg Mach. Byleth stared at the giant structure; far more intimidating now that she was just upon it. From a distance it seemed more welcoming, nearly manageable. Now all she could wonder was how it played the role of a school and a church; two places that were told to be a beacon of hope and a place for the weak and weary to congregate. 

While she had never been there personally, Garreg Mach’s giant walls looked more like the prison in Enbarr; at least that’s how her father had explained it, and well that’s how she saw it in her mind. It did not help that apparently the Knights of Seiros had escorted them back with the three students. 

Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard. They were strange kids; well kids was not the most accurate word for them. The three looked about Byleth’s age actually, just a few years younger than she was. Either way, they had much to say; much to tell her as they entered the grounds of the monastery. It was only when Alois, one of the knights, had told her and Jeralt they were to go to the audience chamber did they finally stop talking and split off from their smaller group. 

Perhaps that had been for the best. Byleth had lived with her father her entire life and he was not exactly one to go on long soliloquies. Claude nearly talked her ear off. 

So up the steps they went; apparently heading to where they would be met and their…what? Their futures would be doled out? It was an odd thing to think about. One day they had been working from job to job to make ends meet, so they could get their next meal. Now they were more than likely going to live at Garreg Mach monastery; the headquarters of the Church of Seiros, something Byleth had no idea even existed not three hours prior. 

“Please wait here.” Alois said with a smile before he turned and headed back through the large double doors. Silence enveloped the pair as they were left to wait, though of course said quiet did not last for long. 

Apparently her father was talkative that day. “It’s been years since I’ve last set eyes on this place. To be forced to see her now…” He trailed off, causing Byleth to glance over in Jeralt’s direction. 

“Her? Her who?” She asked, unsure where the conversation was going to go. It was not as though they spoke often of Jeralt’s past before he became a mercenary. If anything, Byleth really knew nothing about it. So, for him to bring up even that much on his own was a miracle in and of itself. It seemed like the church was causing his lips to become loose; and apparently, he knew more about the Church of Seiros then he let on. 

Clearly, he noted his mistake for Jeralt twitch, slightly turning away from his daughter but not fully; there was still hope for her to get information on all of this. “You saw her earlier in the court-yard, didn’t you? The Archbishop. Lady Rhea.” 

“Lady Rhea…” Well, it also seemed as though Jeralt was overly familiar with the Archbishop of the church. Byleth’s head was spinning with it all; thinking about everything that could be revealed to her in the coming days alone. 

“As you know, well, as that brat Claude explained to you, the majority of the folks in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros.” That was about all Byleth knew but she let her father go on. “The leader of that ridiculously large religious organization is the Archbishop, Lady Rhea.” Byleth was going to ask another question, to dig a little further since her father was open and willing to talk on things he never brought up in the past; however that was the moment company walked into the audience room from the side door Alois had not exited. 

It was two people, both about the same height and looked like they could be distantly related. The male, probably in his 30’s, had dark almost forest colored hair. He was dressed in fine blue clothing which covered most of his body; all accented in gold stitching and medal. 

The woman beside him had paler colored hair and even paler eyes. She was fair skinned and mightily tall; her gown was white and gold and blue and she looked like she could control a mighty army with a single flick of her wrist. 

Everything in Byleth’s heart told her this was Lady Rhea, the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros. 

“Thank you for your patience Jeralt. My name is Seteth.” It was the male that spoke. I am an advisor to the Archbishop.” 

“Right. Hello.” Jeralt responded. Byleth stayed quiet beside her father since Seteth had not spoken to her directly. It was just something Byleth had trained into her. Always keep wary and quiet. 

The woman, Rhea, spoke then. “It has been a long time, Jeralt.” Byleth swung her head around and gave her father a rather stern glare. She honestly did not care much if the other saw; it was only for Jeralt. A long time? So, Rhea did know her father. And what had her father been doing in the presence of the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros? “I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?” If Byleth was not as angry as she was, she surely would have loved to listen to Rhea speak more. Her voice was melodic and ever so soothing. Byleth nearly let her eyes close in delight at the sound. 

Nevertheless she kept her sight trained on the two strangers. All the while, Jeralt beside her spoke again; only igniting that annoyance in Byleth’s chest further. “Forgive my silence all these years.” So, he had been to the church in the past. “Much has happened since we last spoke.” 

Rhea finally turned to Byleth and the younger woman felt a flush rise to her cheeks. Rhea was absolutely beautiful; ethereal and other worldly. To have her attention on Byleth was a thing to behold. “So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. This is your child, is it not?” If Alois had spoken to Lady Rhea beforehand, she surely would have known the answer to that question. The brown-haired knight hadn’t been able to shut up; her nearly talked as much as that young man Claude. 

“Yes… Born many years after I left this place.” The pieces were all coming together as Jeralt spoke. So Byleth had been born after he left the “employment” of the church. That would make sense as to why Byleth knew nothing of this part of Jeralt’s life. “I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child, but I am afraid we lost her to illness.” 

“I see.” Rhea started, staring at Byleth but speaking to her father. “My condolences.” Rhea then spoke to Byleth. “As for you, I heard of your valiant efforts form Alois.” So, she had spoken to that man. “What is your name?” 

It took a second for Byleth’s brain to catch up to the world around her. She paused then blinked a few times; glancing back and forth to the others in the room. Jeralt looked like he wanted her not to say, Seteth looked like he wanted to smack her upside the head for not answering immediately, and Rhea simply patiently waited for her to answer the question. Not wanting to start anything the moment they arrived and finally had an audience with the Archbishop, Byleth sighed and finally responded. 

“I go by the name Byleth.”

“A fine name indeed.” 

’

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy.” 

It did not take long for her father to interject, making a sort of scoffing noise in the back of his throat that had Rhea and Seteth both turning back towards him. Not that Byleth minded; it was rather nerve wracking to be the center of all that attention. 

“Jeralt. You already know what I wish to say, do you not?” 

It must have something to do with what Edlegard had spoken about. 

“You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros don’t you?” There it was. “I won’t say no, but…” He trailed off and Byleth could see him turning slightly in her direction which only had a bad feeling twisting in her gut. 

“Your apprehension stings. I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you.” That was true, at least from what Byleth had been able to deduce about the Knight. He seemed rather…obsessed with her father; she could still see the excited look in his eyes. 

Rhea sighed and shook her head but made sure she was speaking to the both of them then. “I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow… farewell.” 

~’~

So she would be the new professor to the Blue Lions. That’s what she had been asked off the next day after Rhea had left her to her own devices. Jeralt was to begin working once again with the Knights of Seiros like he had apparently done in the past. 

And Byleth was to begin her new life as a professor at the Garreg Mach Officers Academy. Oh how things had changed. So much in so little time; it made her head spin from the speed of it all. 

There were still so many things that Byleth herself needed to work through. Who was her father before becoming a mercenary? A Knight of Seiros apparently; but why? For how long? What had made him leave the monastery all those years ago? Who was her mother? And what was her family’s connection to Rhea? 

There was another thing. That young woman, the strange looking one that had turned back time… who was she? She had said they shared the same birthday, but what did that mean? How did she fit into all of this? Byleth would not complain considering it had kept her alive in the long run, but sooner or later she would like to know some answers since she NEVER got any. 

Thankfully it seemed Dimitri was patient, was someone that allowed her the space she needed. He had been so kind and willing to let her catch her breath; the onloading of information nearly flooding her on dry land. That’s how she found herself sitting on a crate by the small fishing pond. The light of the day was slowly fading but she did not mind. It gave her clarity, the sunsets in Fódlan. It cast everything in an orange tinted glow as she watched the dozens of students run back and forth; talking animatedly to one another as they went. 

“Oh? You must be Byleth.” A feminine voice had Byleth looking up to her left. On the steps, there was a young woman that had to be the same age as her. Her eyes were slightly widened as she quickly made it down the rest of the steps to stand in front of Byleth. Even with their positions, the prior mercenary knew this person was much taller than she was. “I’ve been trying to find you but it seems like we would always just miss one another. Claude has been chattering my ear off about you.” She stuck her hand out and Byleth just watched it for a moment before taking it in hers. “My name is Mark.” 

Ah. 

This was Mark. Byleth had also heard of her from Dimitri when he spoke of the other professors. He explained that there were just two others for the Black Eagles and the Golden Deer; but Mark was something of a supplemental teacher. Apparently she worked mainly with the Golden Deer but sometimes jumped around to the other two. 

Byleth observed her, noting the small smile on her lips as she took as seat on the crate next to her. “I’m glad I could finally meet you.”

And then she simply sat there. Silence enveloped the two of them and Byleth could not help but look over in the other woman’s direction. She did not seem in a hurry to say anything else, but the quiet was not uncomfortable. Mark just leaned back on her hands and closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the feeling of the setting sun on her face. 

Byleth herself turned back towards the sunset, stunned by the new character that she just met. She could not exactly put out a final judgement as of yet, but from what she had seen so far, she did not mind. Anyone that preferred the quiet of simply enjoying people’s company was a friend in her book. 

Plus there was something comforting in having a woman the same age as Byleth there at the monastery; someone her age and NOT a student since Mercedes was closer to Byleth’s age then the other students of the Blue Lion house. 

It was only after the sun had set and most of the students had vanished from the green house and fishing area that Mark spoke up once again. “You have dinner yet?” Byleth finally opened her eyes, looking over and watching as Mark jumped off the crate. She brushed off invisible dust from her tunic and pants before turning towards Byleth. 

The new professor blinked. “Ah, no. I just kind of came out here for a break from the noise of the monastery.”

Mark nodded. “That’s understandable. I tend to like the quiet as well.” She smiled, making Byleth feel a little closer and closer with each passing moment. “Let’s go get something to eat though. I’m sure you are hungry; then we can turn in, tomorrow is sure to be a big day.” 

From the moment Byleth passed the gates into Garreg Mach, she had felt alone; an outcast among commoners and nobility alike. Yet now, with Mark’s simple invitation for dinner and an outstretched hand with a warm smile; now Byleth felt a little more at home. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second WIP updated in the quarantine my guys.
> 
> also Claude can speak fluent Almyran and no one can change my mind.
> 
> [ Chapter Music ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxvOxqNS7Kg)

_ Great Tree Moon _

_ Ferdinand_

Ferdinand, while not the biggest fan of fighting and conflict like that few in the Blue Lions seemed to be, did not quite understand the appeal of such cultural displays. There were things he enjoyed, things he truly liked. There was his status as a noble and collecting weapons and armor. It seemed that same enjoyment did not extend to the puppetry of the Eastern most section of the Leicester alliance and the Western most regions of Almyra. Maybe he would have enjoyed it if they were not at a school specifically to be better leaders in battle. Nevertheless, the other houses; the Blue Lions and the Black Eagles, they were guided into the Golden Deer classroom and sat down at the dozen or so seats. Ferdinand eyed the puppet show stage before leaning towards Petra on his right. 

“Any guess as to how this will go?” He asked, trying to make a joke that he knew was not exactly polite. Petra glanced at him with a strange expression he could not quite place before looking towards the front of the room. 

“I am the not sure. Such displays are common in Brigid. My thoughts in my head say this will be fun.” Petra finished, clearly and thankfully not understanding the mean jab he just made at the Golden Deer’s expense. When Ferdinand looked towards the Blue Lions, he saw Byleth and Dimitri’s heads bowed towards one another. They were whispering quietly; and Ferdinand was no fool. He saw such love-struck expressions in the high court of Enbarr many times. It seemed as though the head Lion had found his mate rather soon; even if said mate was not entirely aware of the affection being sent her way. 

It didn’t take much time after that for a few musicians to walk in, carrying their instruments to the front of the room where they took their own seats. After a few more beats and the room quieting down, the show began. As Petra had said, Ferdinand could see it was clearly quite well done; the performance that is. If he were more in tune with his “artistic side”, surely, he would have been able to appreciate the spectacle. 

Oddly enough though, the entire little musical piece was in Almyran; even if he could clearly recognize the voices that were singing. Both Mark and Claude sang the story of a young man finding a wife on the other side of the border; falling in love and the trials and tribulations that came along with that. Well…at least that’s what Ferdinand was able to parse out from the visuals. The puppetry from the Golden Deer house was spectacular. Everything about it Ferdinand enjoyed surprisingly enough. 

Before he and everyone else knew it, the little show was over and the entire room burst into applause. Even when he glanced over his shoulder her saw the other faculty members politely clapping quietly along the back wall. Though perhaps not all of them were that happy about the performance. While Professor Manuela clearly was singing its praises, Seteth had a deep scowl on his face; though of course that was not all that surprising. 

He seemed to severely dislike Mark’s presence in general after all. 

The Golden Deer students stumbled out from behind the show stage, waving at the people in the room before Claude and Mark both got out as well. The two of them were smiling, beaming at one another more than they were beaming at the rest of the students in the room. Ferdinand knew that look they were sharing was familiar. 

He just observed it in the Blue Lions house after all. 

After the cheering and the clapping was all finished, everyone slowly began to disperse. There were no classes any time soon so the three houses did something they rarely did. 

They mingled.

He and Petra actually walked up to the front of the room where Claude and Mark were whispering quietly to one another; and Ferdinand bit back the smirk that was forming on his face. Yep, definitely just like the Blue Lions duo. 

“That was very much in amazement!” Petra spoke in her slightly disjointed speech pattern. She quickly gave both of them hugs before speaking again. “I was not in the awareness that you two spoke Almyran.” 

Claude was the one to answer first. “Ah I don’t tend to disclose that.” He said with a small chuckle, glancing at Mark out of the corner of his eye. “She was the one that persuaded me and the rest of the house to put this on.” 

“It helped that Claude is fluent.” Mark picked up right where he had left off. The two were clearly very close and Ferdinand wondered when that had happened. Though, Mark tended to avoid the Black Eagles so it was not as though he would have seen much of their interactions anyways. “He helped tutor me and it was off to the races.” Petra seemed confused by what Mark had said but allowed the supplemental professor to continue anyways. “It was just that Claude was wondering more about what constitutes culture outside of language and people; music and theatre are just two of the hundreds of things.” 

Hmm, Ferdinand hummed in the back of his throat before he spoke. “I am not quite proficient in such matters but I do know it was a wonderful performance.” 

They did not speak on much else; Claude and Mark simply thanking them for even showing up before turning out of the room and heading to only the goddess knew where. There was a part of Ferdinand that thought about following them; perhaps that curious child like part of him. The sun was setting after all since the Golden Deer had the decency to plan the performance at the end of the day so the other houses did not have to cut short any sort of lessons that had been planned beforehand. 

But the romantic within him won out. If Mark and Claude were….were something more than mentor and student, Ferdinand was not going to get in the way of such a thing. He felt a small smile form on his face, the sound of the room fading into the background as Petra and he headed towards the dining hall. Yes. There was no need to get in the way of what was happening between the two of them. 

Afterall, he did not see his house leaders’ pale eyes narrowing on the pair as they rushed off. 

~’~

_ Edelgard_

She paused outside the door; her hand raised in position to knock on the wood in front of her. Many things were rushing through her head as she stood there, taking note of the pale moonlight causing her to surely look stranger than she already did. The barest hints of warm weather were rolling in; their position on the continent causing the weather to be cool to temperate nearly year-round. It was not as though such things bothered her though. Edelgard had been transformed all those years ago. Her life had started anew, a butterfly escaping chrysalis. Now she was on a new path; one that required as many allies as she could find. 

Finally her fist found the wood and she knocked three times, letting the sound of her arrival carry through the room behind the door. At first, when no one responded, she pondered that perhaps the occupant was not even there. Perhaps she had found her way to another room for the night. Edelgard would not be all that surprised, the students got up to every little thing after all. But the silence on the other side did not last long. “Coming.” The voice was muffled but Edelgard heard in none the less. That was followed by footsteps before the unlocking of the door. 

Then Mark was standing before her. 

It was now or never, Edelgard could not let Mark’s surprised expression throw her off. Edelgard had quite a bit of fire power; she was lacking in the research section of her mission. 

“Oh? Edelgard. I was not expecting you.” She was surely expecting Claude then. Edelgard took in the young woman’s clothing, noting the leather leggings and the large sleeping shirt. At least she was dressed. 

“Could I come in to speak with you?” Edelgard asked, keeping her voice even. There was a moment, brief as it may be, where Mark had narrowed her eyes and Edelgard felt like she was going to slam the door shut. But the part time professor simply nodded, motioning towards the seat on the other side of the room while Mark herself headed back towards the bed. Edelgard spotted the books that were littered across the bedspread and did not hold back the knowing smile that formed on her lips. 

On multiple different occasions she had seen Claude reading those heavy bound tomes. More than once she felt as though her ambitions and Claude’s aligned a shocking amount; such discoveries as the ones before her seemed to only confirm what she suspected. 

When Edelgard sat, also realizing that Mark’s room was right beside Byleth who was another potential ally, she turned and caught sight of the target once again. Mark was already looking down at the book that had been opened when she walked in. For a moment, the two simply sat in silence before Edelgard ordered exactly what she was going to say in her mind. 

“You are a scholar of religion are you not?” 

That clearly got Mark’s attention. She paused, her eyes openly narrowing this time around; pointedly staring at Edelgard from across the room. “I did not share that with many.” i.e., Edelgard was one of the people she did not want to know about her area of expertise. 

But Edelgard was not cowed. “Things get around when living in tight quarters with people. If one wants to keep a secret, one has to not tell a single person.” She knew such a concept well. Edelgard shifted in her seat, sitting up straighter in hopes it would get her “seriousness” across. “Do you not want to know more about what the Church of Seiros is doing?” 

While Edelgard had thought it was best she just come out with what she wanted, it seemed that had not been the best course of action. Mark’s face was closing off faster and faster. “You must understand that Rhea and Seteth are keeping their secrets; secrets that the people of this country should know about. It is contradictory that religious groups hold such a thing tight to their chest.”

“And what about you? You were just waxing poetic about keeping secrets Edelgard.” Mark bit out, all but tossing spears of fire with her eyes in Edelgard’s direction. “I believe leaders of a church and leaders of a nation can keep their own secrets; unless you wish to divulge yours openly and in the public.” 

“But are you not a scholar of religion? Of truth? Do you not wish to know what is going on?” 

“Edelgard.” Mark cut off before the next Emperor of the Adrestian Empire could speak again. “Do not mistake my charity for what it is not. I have no way of getting home, no way of returning to my loved ones and family. I offered my services to the Church and the Officers academy because I knew I could do some good while I decided what I was going to do next. Yes, I believe that the pursuit of knowledge and truth go hand in hand; but you are clearly suggesting something that would lead to a bias and a form of research that I do not participate in, blindly coloring the world to how you see fit. It is a dangerous path to tread and I will do no such thing.” 

Edelgard frowned, their eyes never leaving one another. While it was definitely a loss for the night, she did not see it as a total failure. Things could be done; pieces could be moved to sway Mark to Edelgard’s side. She would simply have to tread carefully; step back and design a new approach. Perhaps she did not take into account the quick wit that Mark held in her hand. “I see.” 

“Now if you would please leave. I have some reading I need to do.” 

Edelgard did not have to be asked twice. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I was going to add a bit with Sylvain to this chapter but it did not seem right once I finished Claude's part. I finally got to use some of my religious studies minor; even if on just a very surface level haha. Also in theory I know they would have more of the Book of Seiros, if not the complete thing, available to students and faculty to read; but in game, in the library, they only had parts I, II, and V. I thought it would totally fit the canon of the story for Seteth and the other Church officials to hide things. 
> 
> [ Music ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgdeoE7wJAM)

_ Harpstring Moon_

_Claude_

_ “She is the messenger of the heavens, the bridge between lands above and below, and her blessings shall bring tidings of peace to all.”_

Mark blinked, reading those words again as she felt the gentle breeze brush through her hair. It was a warm day, unseasonably warm for central Fódlan. That brought Claude and Mark both out of the library where stuffy dust particle floating in the air often would not have even phased them. Now, however, they both agreed to get some fresh air. That is how Claude found himself resting, his head in Mark’s lap as she read from one of the editions of The Book of Seiros; it sounded like The Revelation if his memory was correct.

“Hm?” He muttered under his own breath, glancing over the top of the charts he currently held in his hand. He himself had grabbed one of the registers of Imperial Nobles; well Mark had grabbed it. Technically students were not allowed to move the documents nor look through them, which he found suspicious in and of itself. 

Of course it did not say anything about faculty and staff perusing the charters. Many would have probably thought it a dry read, but there had been some discrepancies in his early research about the church and its relations to the three major countries in Fódlan, so he decided to do some more digging. Specifically, Claude was looking into House Vestra and their connection to the House of Aegir that came out the most fortuitous after leading the Insurrection of the Seven. Of course, it would have been much better for Claude to have information specifically from the Vestra and Aegir’s personal libraries, but there was not much he could do about that. 

House Vestra, for quite some time, had been specifically allied with the Hresvelg’s; the “princess’s” family. However, when the Insurrection kicked off in 1171, House Vestra was QUICK to switch sides. Even with the sparse records the church held on Imperial houses, Claude could see there were some things that did not quite add up. It almost seemed like House Vestra knew what was going on; like they had been in contact with Aegir before it all went to shit out West. 

Claude could envision Hubert, in all of his glorious smarminess; and he could see Ferdinand’s boisterous outburst, with their royal highness not far behind them. As a sort of baseline, Claude did not trust easily; and reading more into the Hresvelg, Vestra, Aegir conundrum of the Imperial timeline only made him push further and further from those three of the Black Eagle’s. 

When he looked up again, he noted that Mark’s eyes were flying over the pages of the thin book; bound in roughed and wearing leather. It was clearly one of the older copies that the library held, perhaps a print that had been made in an earlier year. He would not know until he saw the inside cover. For a moment he simply watched her, watched as her hands flipped some of the pages back and forth; clearly reading different parts in her head. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, making sure his voice was low. The Black Eagle’s had just gotten out of the lesson with Professor Manuela and he did not want any of them to stick their nose in his and Mark’s business. Linhardt, while an academic like Claude, often got nosy when Claude least wanted him to be. Of course, there were the extra suspicious ones, those being her royal highness and Hubert; but both of them were turning towards the dining hall. 

Mark was watching the group of students as well, knowing that she did not want to speak while the others were around. He trusted Mark, which was shocking. Over the period she had been there with them, the two had grown closer and closer. She told him things that she had not even told Rhea, and it was by the grace of the Archbishop that she was even still at the monastery. Mark had told Claude that she was from a place Crests did not exists; that things were vastly different. She was from a place that people were based on their merit, even if money often played a role. Mark explained that she was someone that investigated crimes of different magnitudes; so, the investigative part of her job seemed to carry over relatively well to what she was currently doing at the school. 

There were other things that she said, that she didn’t have the biggest family, but she cared for them deeply and was saddened that it honestly seemed like she would never be able to go back. Mark told Claude about her dreams, that she just wanted everyone in the world to “stop fighting for one damn second so she could catch her breath”. All in all, Mark made it easy for him to share with her things he had not even told Hilda.

“You know, I’m not sure. Perhaps there are just more contradictions than I first thought there would be; though I also do not know why I thought this would play out any differently than any other religious group I have looked into in the past.” 

That had Claude sitting up, the shadow from the leaves above them shimmering and shaking. It played different shapes across each of their faces as his eyes narrowed at her. There was a reason he decided to take to her hip and not move from her side. For so much of his life, when investigating…impolite company topics as Seteth would call them, he had to dissect things on his own. There were only so many ways he could look at something before he didn’t recognize what he was looking at or know where to go next. 

Having an extra set of eyes to read a piece of scripture he had gone over a thousand times before was exactly what he needed. 

“What do you mean something you should have expected? And more contradictions?” Of course, he had seen them as well, but perhaps she saw more. 

Waiting for him to shuffle up and lean his back against the tree beside her, she pointed at the page she was currently opened to. As he suspected, it was The Revelation she had been reading from moments before. “Mind you this is just one discrepancy I found when looking over it but it is a rather glaring one,” She paused before moving her finger down, whispering the first part of the sentence to herself before starting up again. _ “…And her blessings shall bring tidings and peace to all.”_

“Yet here in Book II, The Creation, it says _ “To face this evil force, the goddess created a new well of power. She gifted certain chosen individuals with sacred blood, allowing them to wield mystical weapons, that they may prevail against the darkness. These souls, buoyed by their divine gifts, conquered the evil ones and drove them back to the north. They came to be known as Heroes.”_

“There is a difference between bringing tidings and peace to all through her “blessings” and bringing “peace” through the goddess creating a new power for an exact set of people who she could then send out to do her dirty work, so to speak. Then in the Commandments,” Mark dug out the smaller volume from the bag carrying the rest of their books. It was thin; the fifth Book of Seiros. “Back to back, it says _ “Dare not abuse the power gifted to you by the goddess. Dare not kill, harm, lie, or steal, unless such acts are committed by the will of the goddess.”_

“And finally _The goddess cares for and protects all that is beautiful in this world. _ So what is beautiful? Just those that follow the teachings of Seiros? That does not quite seem like a goddess that brings tidings and peace to everyone. Not to mention the “Dare not kill” and in the same breath saying it’s fine as long as it is done by the will of the goddess.” Claude watched, stunned, wide eyed as Mark snapped the two volumes shut with an audible thwack. It seemed as though he had been so entrenched in all the Crestology research he had been doing as of late that he let his other interest fall by the way side. To have dug out those fine differences, and not having even heard of the Church for a full year; he was rather impressed. 

“Ok, so there are differences here and there; perhaps that was just the goddess flipflopping.” He said, the brevity seeping into Mark’s small smile that found her face. But Mark just shook her head and sighed, leaning her head back against the tree with a small thud. Claude’s eyes never left her form. “I doubt it. It’s probably more like the writers of each book flipflopping; not having gone into depth of the previous edition, or just wanting to rewrite a part of the canon to make it fit what they want taught in the Church of Seiros.” 

Claude could not cover the sound of confusion that slipped out of his mouth. Different authors for each of the different parts of the book? That didn’t seem right. Thankfully Mark understood said sound and cracked an eye open to look at him. “Many religious teachings, if their scripture is old enough and large enough, have different authors for different sections. One of the biggest religions where I’m from? There were two different versions of the same book, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Even within those two books, there were dozens of differing accounts of how it is read and interpreted.” 

Mark wrapped her knuckle against The Revelation book still resting in her lap before tapping against The Commandments that sat next to it. “The biggest indicator for different authors is usually the change in linguistics; whether that be names for different people, locations, or items. You must also account for the grammatical changes. There is a good chance you could grab a dictionary from different times in the history of Fódlan and cross reference dialects and lingo from those particular eras.”

Claude blinked before resting his head against Mark’s shoulder. He laughed, quietly, and felt her do the same as it vibrated through his skull in an oddly pleasant way. “Which one do you suspect came first?” It would come in handy later, knowing such a thing. There were still some things he wanted to dig into, especially in regards to Edelgard and House Varley; what with their recent estrangement from the church and their apparent position in the Empire to keep a direct line of contact WITH the church. 

Mark did not comment on Claude taking her hand in his, nor did she pull away; simply leaning her head atop his as she spoke in soft whispers, the warmth seeping the energy out of both of them. “Judging by the short sentence form and simpler grammar, I suspect the fifth book, The Commandments. Plus, it lays everything out in stark black and white. At that point in time, it was unlikely many of the common people were literate.” 

“That makes sense.” He muttered under his breath. The two of them slipped into a comfortable silence, watching all the students come and go across the courtyard. From where they were seated, Claude could see Professor Byleth and Dimitri speaking to one another; walking along like the rest of the world was not even there. Clearly the prince found someone to… “imprint” on, for a lack of a better word. His thoughts made a chuckle rumble in his chest. 

There were a few more beats of silence before Mark spoke up again, leaning away from him and the tree to rest on her knees. He watched as she started to collect the books that had scattered around them. “I would have loved to look over more of the Books of Seiros over lunch.” Mark’s words faded out as she grabbed the last book by her right knee. 

Claude stopped, watching in confused silence that seemed to catch her attention. “What?” She asked before putting the strap of the bag over her shoulder. He still had the register of Imperial Nobles in his hand; the one that he would need to give back to her since he could not be caught returning it on his own unless he wanted more attention from Seteth’s prying eyes. 

Definitely did not want that. 

“More of the Books? Did you not grab them all?” He asked and she looked at him with an equally confused expression; looking into her bag before glancing back in his direction. 

“I did. Books I, II, and V.”

“Wait wait,” Claude stood, brushing off the back of his pants then throwing his hands back and forth as though that would wipe away what he just heard. That could not be right…Could it? There was The Revelation, The Creation, The Commandments and-

The Revelation… The Creation… and The Commandments.

It seemed like it should have been a bigger realization than it was; but he could only see Mark standing up beside him, still looking befuddled. “Are… are there supposed to be more?” 

There were, he knew that deep in his heart. Seteth and Rhea were far from stupid, but it did confirm, at least somewhat, something he suspected of those two little sneaks for quite some time. 

Seteth, and the Church of Seiros as a whole, was hiding something that he and Mark WOULD discover; even if it was the last things they ever did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at this point, Claude still doesn't trust Mark TOTALLY, but he definitely trusts her more than most people. It is very much a connection and a relationship that is growing from an educational and intellectual beginning; that just seems like something that would appeal to Claude more than say like, a "romantic" beginning. 
> 
> Also I went and transcribed every piece of literature one can read in the games library haha; that's basically why I bring up the register of nobles for the Empire. The other registers for the Kingdom and the Alliance will come into play as well as the different locations, especially the Oghma mountain range. But we will have to wait and see~


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again! I was planning on having Sylvain in this chapter but he just keeps getting pushed back poor thing haha. Next chapter SHOULD have Sylvain and either Dimitri or Felix in it. I also finally broke down and bought Cindered Shadows and like you should have seen me finding out Blood Magic is like, technically a thing in Three Houses canon. I got so happy afjsodifai. Also a note about the magic in this chapter; it is kind of a cross between Jesse's from Control and Jack's from Quantum Break.
> 
> [ Music ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHC9tYz8ik)
> 
> [ Magic One ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/181844609@N08/50085113821/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> [ Magic Two ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/181844609@N08/50085349672/in/dateposted-public/)

_Harpstring Moon_

_ Seteth_

The rain had not let up for what seemed like days on end. Summer in central Fódlan was often the rainiest part of the year; only trumped by the absolute downpours they would get in the dead of winter that often brought in snowbanks with it. So, for most of the monastery staff and the students to be stuck indoors, it was not all that odd. Most every person at the monastery had experienced such a thing; no one was worried or suspicious. 

Seteth just hated this sort of weather. It was one of the very few things he disliked about working with Rhea; working at Garreg Mach. Where he, his wife, and his daughter had lived before; the weather had been pleasantly at all times of the year. Of course, it would get a little cooler in the winter; that was just normal. However, it never, NEVER, rained. He could still recall the first time Flayn had seen rain some time ago. It was a sweet moment; but the heart-warming nature of it wore of nearly as soon as it began. 

Nevertheless he had work to do. Up in his office, with the cloud coverage, Fodlan seemed darker than it truly was. The room’s colors, all dark reds and deep browns, made him light extra candles to the ones he already had around his desk and on the tables on the other side of the large office. Only the sound of the rain, from the slightly cracked window, and the scratching of his pen, could be heard in the room. Seteth could not even pick up the sound of the students down in the dining hall; which he often could on days such as these. It was one of the few places that the students could go to; or well, wanted to go to. While they were not averse to going out into the rain, many disliked the fact they could catch cold so easily afterwards if they did not dry off immediately. 

He could not blame them completely. After all, he kept his Flayn nearly locked away on stormy days. There was no need for her to roam about the entirety of the grounds anyways. 

Seteth looked back down at the papers he was signing, taking note of the produce House Gautier was requesting. Apparently Sreng had been oddly active in the past couple of months, so the fighters within the House of Gautier; therefore, they were eating more. Seteth knew that when the soldiers ate more, the civilians often went without. That was why many people came in and out of the doors of Garreg Mach every year, looking for sanctuary of every kind. 

The Church would need to mediate a conversation between House Gautier, House Daphnel, and House Edmund. Those last two were some of the biggest producers of corn, beans, and tomatoes on the continent. If anyone had produce to spare, it would be those houses. 

“Perhaps I can speak with Sylvain.” Seteth muttered under his breath as he continued to read and sign different papers; both important requests for supplies as well as simple inventory checks that required his approval to indicate they were ok to pass along. 

Seteth was not ignorant of Sylvain’s true nature. The red headed Gautier was definitely a lady’s man; something Seteth, and well, everyone around Sylvain seemed to disapprove of. There was no possible way anyone could miss the angry looks both Ingrid and Felix shot at him; Sylvain included. Of course, there was also no doubt in Seteth’s mind that Sylvain truly did just have a flirty nature. He surely tempted many women and men both with his silver tongue, noble status and heir to the Gautier lands, as well as his crest. 

Yet Seteth could see the underpinnings of something darker. There were brief moments when Sylvain thought no one was watching, that he was truly alone, and Seteth could see the ghosts in his features. He could see the anger; the anxiety and the frustration. There were also the times Seteth had witnessed more of Sylvain’s true potential. When he wanted to be, Sylvain the “flirty red head” truly could be quite the savage in combat. 

Actually, the more Seteth thought on it, the more he realized how vicious most of the students from the north were. Almost all of the Blue Lions house; they all could, potentially in the future, mow down armies that stood in their way. It was a rather frightening thing to think about; and it made him honestly rather pleased they, the church, had an alliance with the other nations they shared Fódlan with. 

Seteth was nearly done with the stack of papers on his desk when he heard a knock on his door. There were three short raps against the wood in quick succession; so, he knew it was not Rhea. She would either knock twice very slowly, or she would just wait for him to finish his work and speak with him later. 

His eyes flickered up for a moment when the door was still closed before he looked down, wanting to finish the paper work quite a bit. “Enter.” He said, not waiting for the person to respond before he continued signing his name. Whoever it was did walk in, hesitant sounding footsteps crossing the floor before they stopped in front of his desk. They stayed quiet long enough for him to look up in curiosity; quickly signing the last two sheets of paper that required his attention so it would not be distracting him. 

There stood Mark.

Seteth could not hide his surprise as he stared at the young woman before him. She was dressed as she usually was since she arrived at Garreg Mach; plain white tunic, dark brown leggings, and dark brown boots. It was almost like she tried to blend in; be as normal as possible. Though of course she was always going to have trouble doing that considering her personality. It was so far from the norm that she would attract the attention of outsiders no matter what she wore. 

Today, however, things appeared different. Mark was quiet, her face even as she stared at him. There was none of the usual animosity that had first shown between the two of them. Things had slowly become more… “friendly”, between the two of them. Of course, there was still much growth to be had in terms of a friendly relationship. 

He continued to observe her in the silence, realizing the emotion on her face at the same moment he decided to speak up. 

Determination. 

Determination and protectiveness; Mark wore it like a badge of honor in those quiet moments on that rainy day. 

“What can I do for you Mark?” He asked, motioning for her to take a seat in one of the chairs in his office. She turned, looked at it for a moment, then sat down. When they were facing once again, that expression was still glued to her face. 

“I’m…” Mark paused, leaving Seteth’s eyes to widen. It was rather rare for Mark to be at a loss for words. Yes, she could be quiet when she needed to be; but she would often think out everything she said before she spoke. That was one thing Seteth knew for sure about her; Mark was extremely articulate and could orate very well. 

“I want to do reconnaissance on Edelgard.” 

Silence followed her words. One could hear a sewing needle drop in the room as Seteth slowly processed what he had just been told. Reconnaissance? On Edelgard von Hresvelg? It was such an out of nowhere idea that he could not help but ask, “Why?”

Mark shifted in her seat before crossing her arms over her chest. Clearly, she was at least slightly uncomfortable, but she was able to hide it relatively well. “I’ve been doing research on some of the houses in the three different nations in Fódlan,” convenient, he thought to himself, that she covered up Claude’s involvement in their “research”. “There have been far too many discrepancies in the Adrestian Empire, and I think that is on purpose.” Seteth leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on the armrest as he stared at her. The two of them were sizing each other up; and he could not help but wonder what she was seeing in him. 

He himself saw a young woman that really found a little niche that fit her quite well. He did not trust Claude; but he did trust him more than he trusted her. Again, it was something he was working on, but old habits did not vanish in a day. “I cannot just sanction someone to run off and spy on the next leader of the Adrestian Empire. If the current Emperor found out, there would be hell to pay.” Mark huffed, a slight groan I her throat as she leaned forwards with her head in her hands. 

Another silence settled over the two of them, simply waiting to be cracked. “Where I come from, my job was similar to a spy. Edelgard would not be able to detect me; nor would she parse my true intentions. None of them would be able to. If nothing comes from it, then nothing comes from it and no harm done. However, I truly believe that Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire is not as forthcoming with the rest of the population as they should be.” Mark finished, looking up through her fingers and her bangs. 

“I am truly sorry Mark, but I cannot give you permission to do that. You would not even have a foolproof way to keep yourself safe traveling back and forth between whatever location you would need to get to.” 

When he finished, Mark suddenly jumped up; pacing back and forth as she pushed her fingers through her hair. Clearly, she was not happy about how the conversation went; and she quickly passed directly in front of his desk. “I know that…I know that the two of us did not get along in the beginning; and I know that you have no reason to trust me without proof. It’s just that…” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “I have come to accept that I won’t be going back to where I am from, when I…” Mark trailed off as she looked out the window. What she saw in the rainfall Seteth would never know. 

Either way, she turned back and that look of determination was back; but now she held a small smile with it. “This is my home now. The students, the clergy, the other staff; you and Flayn and Rhea, you all are my family now. I don’t have anyone else; and to know that someone might be plotting to hurt those that I care about, I can’t just sit back and do nothing!” 

Up until that point, Seteth had not been truly shocked. Now he sat there in silence, jaw dropped and eyes wide. He had no idea about her true feelings towards the church and everyone in it. Apparently, he had not been the only one trying to work on their relationship so to speak. She had been thinking on it quite a bit. Right before his very eyes, she transformed it someone that, in the future, he could see himself possibly trusting with his life. 

Leaning forwards, he rested his head on his hands, his elbows on the desk. At that point, Mark took her seat and waited for him to respond. It was rather ironic, that she felt the same way about the Empire. Of course, he wanted to see the best in the Adrestian people and her leader; they were the oldest country on the continent. However, as Mark said, things in the past decade or so just had not been adding up. So, his eyes flickered back up to catch hers. “I…There are things I would want you to do before I let you go out on missions like this; we would also need to speak with Rhea about it.”

“Done and done.” Good. At least she agreed with that. 

Seteth grabbed a blank piece of parchment, dipping his pen into the ink well and starting to write some things down. After a few lines, he spoke up again. “We will also need to either send someone trained in magic with you or train you. Manuela should be free to accompany you on most of these missions; and it would not be strange for her to show up in Enbarr since that is her home town.”

He went to continue but Mark clearing her throat had him looking up through his own bangs. “Is there a problem?” He questioned. Now she looked almost sheepish; a drastic change from the way she looked at the beginning of the conversation. 

“Umm…” Mark held the back half of that sound in her mouth before she stood and reached into a pocket that she apparently sewed into her pant leg. He did not take his eyes off her hand, even as she pulled a small dagger from the pocket. Slowly, like she knew he would attack if she made a move to get at him, she brought the blade up. Finally, he caught her eyes again and she kind of grimaced with a strange smile. “You aren’t going to be happy.” 

It took less than a second after she said that for her to slice the five-inch blade in a diagonal line across her other palm; moving from her pointer finger downwards. He bolted to his feet, totally in the dark about what was going on; until an audible thrumming came from the large slice on her hand. He could see her shaking ever so slightly, but really focused on the now visible movement in the energy around her palm as well. Like a low and slow beating drum that one could only hear in his office, rainbow waves shimmered from her palm in circular oscillating patterns. 

Mark wiped the blood off on her pants before slipping the blade back into her pocket; the entire time looking like the child that got caught in the cookie jar. “What in the world have you been looking into Mark?” Not like he needed to ask her. He knew what that was. 

Blood magic.

While not official condemned by the church, many within the monastery feared such a power. Seteth himself? He was just surprised that she was able to learn such a thing. He did not like it, but he could not complain either way; it was a way to keep herself safe if something really terrible happened. 

And if he wanted to grow closer to her, he could not quite do that when she was dead now could he? 

“It was tucked far, far back into the library; Claude said he was shocked it was even there. So, while I have been doing research, I have been training as well. I cannot do much more than this, but it could come in handy. It is a time dilation spell.” Mark moved her hands so the one with the cut on it had its palm facing up; then moved the other hand so it was directly over that one with its palm facing down. Now that she had her hands in those positions, she moved the top one up and down and Seteth could see the strange rainbow-colored waves growing and shrinking in time with her hand. “I haven’t been able to test it and see if it is either the more blood I spill or if it is more concentration; but in theory I should be able to widen the space of the dilation.”

Mark was not incorrect. The tactical advantages that could come with that knowledge were immense. “Do you have this book in your possession?” He asked. Mark nodded as she brought her top hand down. When her fingers laced together, the pulsing slowed until it stopped completely; the blood vanishing as well. 

“Both Claude and I agreed that you probably wouldn’t want it in any other students’ hands; or well, our hands either. I had not really been planning on telling you about this but I was kind of desperate.” Mark finished, laughing as she scratched the back of her head. Again, she was not wrong. 

“Good. Make sure no one else has access to it; that includes the von Riegan.” He made a point to emphasize Claude was not to be involved in her learning said magic. It was going to have to be a self-taught endeavor for her from that point forwards. To his knowledge, no one else at the monastery knew how to use said variety of spells. There was always the chance that Rhea knew how to; but they would just have to work on the assumption that no one did. “Also, you knowing how to do that does not leave this office; nor does it leave Claude’s lips.” Again, she nodded. 

Once he was seated, Seteth re-crossed his arms; rubbing his chin as they looked at each other. It could help; having someone looking into Edelgard, her family, and the Empire as a whole. They wouldn’t need much, but every bit of information could help in the long run; insignificant as it might seem in the beginning. 

Also, it was not as though Mark would need to engage with anyone from the Empire in combat. Of course, he had seen her spar, seen her train some of the Blue Lions. He knew she was able to hold her own in a fight; hell, he had seen her put Felix on his ass once or twice before. Information gathering was their first and foremost priority though. 

“Ok. We will get in contact with Rhea and work out a plan.” Seteth said it before he could change his mind. 

Mark simply jumped up from the seat with a smile on her face. She turned towards the door but glanced over her shoulder at the last moment. “Thanks, Seteth, you won’t regret it.” And then she was out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alas we start the mass mixing of blue lions and golden deer. also like.... anyone wanna guess what this magic is based off of?

_Garland Moon_

_Sylvain_

It was the first of the Garland Moon and Sylvain knew he needed to do something. He was unsure if it was something in the air, or if it was something in the water and the food that was served to the students at the academy; it did not particularly matter in the long run. He just knew that change was coming, both for himself and the school; and perhaps the country as a whole. 

So on the first day of the month, rain pouring down from the heavens as though to wash away the memories of his past, he made his way down to the line of classrooms. Sylvain glanced up, noting the swirling clouds; stepping past the split in walkway and turning towards the yellow hanging flags of the first classroom in the line. Even before turning the corner and entering the doorway, he could hear the soft chatter of the Golden Deer house. It was so vastly different than anything he had experienced with his fellow Blue Lions. 

Don’t get him wrong; Sylvain loved them all. He grew up with them, they were basically his own flesh and blood at this point. Yet…

Yet he just could not shake the feeling he had to let them go. Things had to change; he had to move on. The true creed of the Faerghus people never truly was something he could take to heart. Fighting, honor, weaponry and dying for the cause of a people; he just could not do it. Sylvain already grew up entrenched in the code of Crests and knowing that he would marry for that reason; he did not need anything else dictating his life. 

Finally Sylvain took those few steps, walking into the Golden Deer classroom. At first, no one noticed him. He saw Ignatz and Raphael speaking quietly on the right side of the room closest to the large glass windows. Ignatz was clearly explaining something or another to the larger boy; something art related no doubt. 

On the other side of the room, Leonie was trying to explain a certain lance-based fighting technique to a less than receptive Marianne who looked as though she would rather be anywhere but there. Lysethia was on her own near the front, quietly reading next to Claude and Lorenz who was talking more in her general vicinity than anything else. 

The two people he really needed to talk to weren’t there. 

Damn. 

His eyes moved around, and he spotted Marianne who noticed him first. 

“Oh? Sylvain how are you doing? Do you need something?” Leonie was the one to speak, and then seven sets of eyes were on him. 

At first, he was slightly taken aback. He had not been expecting they would all be there. If anything, he thought Ignatz and Marianne would be at the church; either observing the fine art or zealously praying for only the goddess knew what. Raphael and Leonie were also surprising additions to the room. Even in the rain he was sure he would have found them at the training grounds before he found them in the classroom. 

Nevertheless, he was the heir to House Gautier. He could do this. “Yes, I um, I was wanting to talk to Professor Hanneman. Well, him or Mark.” 

The sound of something hitting the bottom of the desk at the front of the room caused everyone but Claude to jump. It was quickly followed by a groan in a voice he was quite familiar with. “Shit.” Mark muttered, slowly emerging from where she had presumably been lying down. 

Just another one of her eccentric qualities, reading beneath the desk in the Golden Deer classroom. 

When her head rose from the other side of the desk, she was rubbing her forehead, muttering curses under her breath before finally spotting Sylvain. He would later gladly admit her beaming expression upon seeing him made his heart skip a beat. Alas, who wouldn’t be happy when a pretty and skilled individual seemed happy in one’s presence?

“Sylvain! What’s up?” Mark asked, putting the old looking scroll she had been reading in her bag; making her way across the room to where he was standing in the doorway. Her attention was quite intense, and if they were not as close as they were then surely, he would be unnerved by it. However, over the past couple of months that she had been there with them, they had grown closer and closer. It was easy to talk with her; someone that did not have a crest and simply liked him for who he was, not for what he could supposedly give her. 

Mark had explained on more than one occasion that where she was from, Crests just did not exist. It was so refreshing to Sylvain that he could speak to her as a person, not some stuffy old figurehead of a noble family. 

“Hi Mark; I just wanted to talk to you. Or, well, you or Professor Hanneman; well I will have to talk to him at some point. Though perhaps you could talk to him after I talk to you. It is just that I-“ 

Mark pressing her fingertips against his lips caused his words to cut off mid-sentence; his eyes widening ever so slightly. The others in the Golden Deer house seemed to have gone back to what they were doing; everyone but Claude who Sylvain could see out of the corner of his eye. The next leader of the Alliance was watching them rather intently with a guarded expression. 

“Come. Let us go for a walk; we can talk in private.” Mark grabbed a parasol from a small bucket someone had placed it in. She then moved her bag so it was on the side closest to him; threading her arm in his and leading him out of the classroom. 

“So what is it that you wished to speak about? Professor Hanneman is at the greenhouse so if it something that needs to be discussed with him as well, we can stop there.” She asked, pushing her side closer to his as they walked out form underneath the stone arches. The parasol was small, small enough that they had to press rather close to one another without getting soaked to the bone. As close in height as they were, she could very well nearly rest her head on his shoulder, though she did not do so. 

The two of them turned, heading in the direction of the training grounds; walking past those and then down the long straight away that led to the greenhouse. 

He might as well and just come out and say it. 

“I want to join the Golden Deer house.” He said it before he could change his mind. There was a part of him that thought she would be so surprised she would not be able to respond; that perhaps her feet would trip over themselves in shock.

Yet she just hummed, nodded, then tightened her grip on his arm. “I see. Well I have no problem with it; and I am sure Hanneman won’t either.” For a few moments they walked in quiet, just the sound of the rain around them echoing in the quiet. 

At about the halfway point, she spoke again. “Any particular reason why?” She muttered under her breath. 

Sylvain hummed this time, tightening his hold on her arm. “What was that?” 

“Any particular reason why you wish to switch houses from the Blue Lions to the Golden Deer? I was under the impression all of you from Faerghus were quite close to each other. If there was anyone, I would not think would switch houses, it would be the lot of ya’ll.” And well, he couldn’t disagree with that. They were the closest. You had to be in the conditions of their country. If you did not have each other’s back, you were as good as dead. 

The two of them slowly walked down the steps, all that closer to the small fishing pond and the more active area of the Academy. Even from where they were, Sylvain could see more people walking about underneath parasols of their own. “I am… I am not entirely sure; or I can’t quite articulate the full reason right away. I just know that in my heart, I was never one to adhere to the strict code of Knights so hallowed in Faerghus.” 

For a second, Sylvain was worried that would not be enough for her; not enough for Professor Hanneman. Some of the other students in other houses had switched before then; from what he heard none of them had to explain their reasoning so he had not planned one out. Yet here Mark was, patiently asking him to spill his heart for her. 

She shifted as they turned at the greenhouse. It seemed as though Professor Hanneman had finished there since neither of them saw him. So instead, they continued their loop around the Garreg Mach. 

“Ok.” She started, quietly. “Well Professor Hanneman has the final say in it all but I have no problem with it.” Mark smiled at him. “All I ask is keep thinking about my question. If anything, it is a good mental exercise.” Just like that, the conversation shifted to what it usually did; how Sylvain was doing. That was something else he noticed about Mark, she rarely if ever talked about herself. 

Mark always, ALWAYS, wanted to know about Sylvain. She was always wondering how he was doing, attentive as one could possibly be. Again, if he did not know her as well as he did; and trust her as much as he did, it was likely he would think her attention on him was unnerving. 

“How about you?” Sylvain asked after they entered the great entrance hall. People were milling about as they walked up the stair case; zigzagging through the grounds of the church. She held the parasol at her other side, their arms still intertwined as the two of them walked. Mark stayed silent for a few steps, prompting Sylvain to refine his question. “That scroll that you were reading, what is it about?” 

Clearly that was something she was more than happy to extrapolate on. They had turned into the dining hall, finding a chair near the back; furthest away from the kitchen. She spread the scroll out in front of him once he was seated as well. 

To him, on first glance, it just looked like a bunch of gibberish; clearly not in the native language of Fódlan. He thought it might be Almyran but that thought was quickly dispelled when he recalled the few times, he had seen Claude carrying documents in said language. “Where in the world did you find this?” 

“Do you know about Abyss?” Mark asked. Sylvain’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “Well beneath the Monastery, there is a large interweaving tunnel grid; I assume it was part of the sewage system at one point. It is basically like a little town.” His fist instinct was to not believe her. However, if he really thought on it, he had heard rumors here and there in the past that there were people down there. 

And was it really that outlandish of a thought?

“There is a full library down there; full of books that the church apparently has disavowed. I found this scroll down there. Apparently, it’s from the east, like _ WAY _ east of Almyra.” 

“So what is it?” 

Her fingers traced the lettering of the scroll. To Sylvain, it actually looked lyrical in form; a beautiful handwriting. Far more beautiful than anything written in Fódlan. “Spells. It’s a form of magic that pulls on the spiritual energy in the air around us. There are different forms, defensive, binding, and offensive magic.” She explained quietly, like she thought Seteth would hear her from where they were. 

Keeping his eyes on her face, he spoke again. “How can you read it?”

“Funny enough, I actually started reading this back where I am from. We don’t really speak it, but when I was in school this was the language I decided to learn.”

Interesting. It was a tidbit of information she would not really share with anyone else; perhaps only Claude. So, she was in fact familiar with the area East of Almyra. Well he knew she was from the continent West of Fódlan and North of Dagda. How odd. 

“I can’t do the magic that originated here in Fódlan, yet it seems as though I can do the ones in this scroll.” Mark paused, glancing up at him with a sad yet shy smile. For a while, they simply stared at one another; letting the sounds of the room swing around them. “I’m glad you will be with the Golden Deer from now on.”

Sylvain heard the “glad you are with me” that went unsaid. Instead, he simply smiled back at her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her back. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK why but I love the idea of someone bringing it up that the heroes relics look a lot like bone (as though it weren't the most obvious thing in the world that they are not made up of steel or silver). Also I'm gonna apologize to Jeralt again. HIs death is gonna be used as a plot point again haha. Once he dies, things are going to pick up in speed; or at the very least after the rite in the holy tomb, where you know who tries to steal crest stones.

_ Garland Moon _

_ Yuri _

Most people only found The Abyss on purpose. It was a hard thing to do, to stumble on the large city beneath the monastery that has been there for nearly the same length of time as the church. There were a multitude of reasons for that; most of which had to do with the Church itself. People did not expect to find misfits and outcasts to be living beneath the feet of the people who were “sworn to protect” the good and the innocent. When one of Fódlan blood thought of the archbishop, they did not quite think of a woman that would harbor criminals and the ilk.

Yuri, of course, had a different view on it all than most people. He could appreciate Rhea’s power to aide them; to let them take refuge in The Abyss even if he knew the true reasons behind her leniency. He could also, at the same time, disagree with her true values and morals. Everyone in The Abyss deserved to be there. As long as they were not hurting anyone, he would gladly fold them into his own little flock he started as the leader of the Ashen Wolves. 

Nevertheless, one would often have to be actively looking for The Abyss to know how to get there and that it was indeed an actual thing in the first place. 

That’s why he was so surprised to find someone in the library a rainy topside morning. Whatever most newcomers, or non-Abyssian people needed, they could find it in the monastery’s library. There was only one reason that most people came to theirs and it wasn’t good in the church’s eyes. 

She was young; at least she was younger than Balthus, though she appeared to be a few years older than Yuri himself. Only an inch or two taller than Yuri, she was dressed rather plainly; a pale cream-colored tunic tucked into brown leather leggings, wearing boots that most everyone wore for practical use. Where she stood with her back to the door, she was surrounded by piles of books and she had a single heavy looking tome that Yuri knew was from east of Almyra spread out in her arms. 

For a few more moments, Yuri simply observed. She did not seem like someone he had seen at the monastery before. Of course, they always had visitors topside, but even then… 

She was no carrying a sword of any sort, just a small dagger; the head of which was poking out the top of her boot. One thing Yuri did notice right away was the medallion that was hanging off the side of her pants. It was small, barely noticeable for those that did not know what they were looking for; however, he was well aware of what it indicated. 

This woman was a member of the church; or at the very least she was someone that worked at the Officers Academy. There was often so much overlap that he considered them to be one and the same 

Finally he stepped forwards, trying to be as quiet as he could be more to test her than anything else. He only got perhaps a foot or two before her shoulders tightened and she looked over her shoulder. “My apologizes.” She said, voice even and guarded. Yuri just smiled; equally guarded. This woman did not seem like a threat to himself or his people, but someone couldn’t be 100% sure in the world they were living in. 

“No need to apologize.” He waved his hands in a dismissive motion, walking closer. Standing beside her, he could see she was as young as he first suspected; pretty but nothing outrageous. That cautious glint to her gaze never left even as she observed him and all the threats that he could possibly pose to her. “Just wondering what you were doing in here. I don’t think I have ever seen you around before and we don’t get many visitors in Abyss.” All the truth; he thought it was better to just come out and say it than twist or conceal. 

There was a beat of quiet in the library; only the sounds from the inn next door trickling to fill in around them. Finally, a smile broke out on her lips. She still seemed hesitant but it was different; and he knew then she really was not planning on hurting anyone in Abyss. 

“Mark. It’s nice to meet you.” Mark snapped the tome in her arms closed and put a hand out towards him. With equal amounts of trepidation and an equally guarded smile that did not quite reach his eyes, Yuri grabbed her hand. 

Well she isn’t a fighter, he thought to himself; noting the lack of callouses that usually came with handling weapons like most of the students at the Officer’s Academy. “Yuri Leclerc, Leader of the Ashen Wolves; nice to meet you.”

That finally seemed to break her out of her suspicious lock. Mark’s eyes widened as their hands dropped back to their sides. “The leader of the Ashen Wolves? I heard a little about you all in my readings but I was under the impression the group had disbanded some time ago. Though, there are quite a few stories that you did not even exists in the first place.”

Yuri just laughed at that, nodding towards the books that were settled around her like a fairy ring. “You cannot believe everything that is written in some stuffy books Mark. Sometimes you have to see things for yourself.” He finally was able to see the book that she had been reading, already noting most of the tomes she had pulled out on the floor were about dark magic as well as blood magic; all content that had been censored by the church within the last twenty years.

The one in her hand was on a particular type of magic that was specific to a single country far, FAR, east of Almyra. He had one of the citizens of Abyss explain it to him in passing; someone that was actually from said country that had been fleeing for their lives from political persecution. Interesting that she was able to read it. He would have to ask her about it later; especially since there was no way he was letting her slip out of his grasp now. 

“Sorry I didn’t ask before coming in here.” She said, knocking him out of his thoughts. He seemed to have zoned out; odd for him, but she was putting the other books away when he finally looked at her again. Not wanting to seem too curious, but also not wanting to leave her, he crouched down and started helping put the books up. 

“It isn’t a problem; this library is for anyone and everyone.” Yuri could see her hesitate before putting one of the books away after he said that. “This is content that the church had in their own library at one point or another. Don’t ask me why they choose what they do to send down our way; we are just glad we get the books.”

Mark seemed to find that answer agreeable enough for she finished putting all the books away outside of the one she had been holding when he walked in before standing up. Following suit, Yuri brushed off the imaginary dust on his pants; letting the silence envelope them once again. He was the first to break it. “Does Seteth know that you are down here?” Yuri asked. Mark’s eyes narrowed, that same suspicion from the beginning of their conversation flooding back into her.

“Don’t worry.” Well, now he had to diffuse the situation. While she probably wasn’t a fighter like most people at the academy, she could still probably kick his ass; hidden talents and all that. “I’m not going to tell Seteth. The church and Ashen Wolves are not exactly on daily speaking terms.” He said, deigning to not explain what he meant by that. If she knew of their existence, she likely knew a little of the dynamic between them and the church. “I just thought it would be pertinent to warn you. They can be forgiving and nasty in equal measures.”

For now, at least, that seemed to tamp down the fire that had exploded in her eyes. She fidgeted instead, shifting from foot to foot. “I see. Well thank you Yuri.” 

“You are always welcome down here.” She may be affiliated with the church, but he knew an outsider when he saw one. The fact that she was down there in Abyss was evidence enough that her loyalties did not lie completely with the church. 

Mark just nodded, turning to leave but stopped when Yuri spoke again. “If I want to get a message to you and you aren’t down here, where should I send it? Who should I trust it with?” Call it curiosity, call it stupidity, Yuri had a feeling in his gut that he was not done with Mark yet; that they were meant to interact more in their lives, that passing acquaintances in the library was not the end for them. 

Mark fully turned and tilted her head to the side. “Send it to the Golden Deer classroom. I am working closely with them as something of a supplemental professor. Even if I don’t get it right away, Hanneman wouldn’t really care enough to come running down here.” 

So Hanneman was the professor for the Golden Deer that year huh? And from what Yuri had heard about the future leader of the Alliance, the von Riegan boy, having Hanneman as his professor was something of a match made in heaven; both obsessive about the science of Crests. 

“I see. Well will do Mark.” He slowly faded off at the end of the word, trying to see if he could finagle a last name out of the woman standing in front of him. However, she clearly was not giving up the ghost, just sighing slightly before putting the last of her books away; though she kept the large one she had been holding in her bag. 

“It was nice to meet you Yuri. I will see you again.” He didn’t say anything as she walked quickly around him, leaving the library and presumably making the trek back up the steps to the topside world. 

~’~

_Garland Moon_

_ Claude_

Things were quickly spiraling out of control. Claude wasn’t one to be alarmist for the most part but he did try to be a realist. At this point, with how everything was going, he could fully admit that the church was losing their iron clad grip on most everything in Fódlan; or at least that’s what appeared to be happening. 

It was like with each passing moment now, a new problem would pop up; whether it be a small thing like a certain group of people can’t afford food in some far off region of the Kingdom or something large like the Professor being able to use the Sword of the Creator without a stone or Miklan Gautier stealing the Lance of Ruin. There had been the problem with Lord Lanato and now there were rumors of some terrifying grim reaper like figure roaming the area, killing off people indiscriminately. 

There was a part of Claude, a small one, that just wanted a moment to breathe. He just wanted to be able to step back; observe what was going on so he could think of a solution to fix all the problems that kept popping up. 

It was about a week the Blue Lions and the Golden Deer returned from retrieving the lance from Miklan. While they had been gone, Edelgard had left for the Empire for some business or another. All the while, Mark had apparently been sitting in anticipation. She had quickly pulled Claude to the side the day after they returned, demanding to know what the hell had been going on. 

“I may be a part of the staff here at the school, and somehow have been accepted into the folds of the church, but they barely tell me anything. I try as hard as I can to get information out of Seteth and he gives me vague answers The others, like Catherine and Alois, they tell me things but only information they are privy to and nothing extra.”

Claude could understand the annoyance and the anxiety, he really could. As someone that liked to have all the information he could before he made a decision, knowing important intel was being withheld from him nearly broke him out into hives. 

Since he considered her a kindred soul, he could only imagine how anxious she was. 

So he told her. He explained about the plot found when they finished with Lord Lanato. He told her how at the tomb, Professor Byleth had wielded the Sword of the Creator without a Crest stone. Then, later on, how they brought back the Lance of Ruin; and how Miklan had transformed into a terrifying monster when using the Heroes Relic without the stone that had been missing from the Sword. 

They sat in silence after he finished, quietly absorbing the information together. That’s another reason why he had just wanted to take a break during the past few weeks. She was such a good bouncing board for him, intaking information in a different fashion then him; seeing everything from a point of view he could not have even thought of. 

Claude knew that when he graduated from the Academy, he would have to take her with him as an advisor. 

After a few moments of quiet, she spoke up; eyes downcast towards the ground with clear thoughts running through her head. 

“Byleth used the sword without a stone correct?” He nodded. “And while it is possible to use a Heroes Relic without a stone, she has not changed into some strange creature to the best of our knowledge?” He nodded again, watching as she started to pace back and forth. 

“What are you thinking? Talk to me.” It was more he just wanted to hear her thought process than anything else. It was interesting to hear from someone that had literally zero interaction with the church and crests for their entire life. 

“Well, one would assume that crests stones are just that; stones. But…but what if they aren’t? What if they are something else?” 

“What else could they be?” 

Mark stopped, looking over at the tall spires of the church before turning back to him. “The Sword of the Creator doesn’t look much like steel does it?” His eyes narrowed, not quite following where she was going. “There is the possibility that someone with the blood of these ancestors can wield these weapons; that’s how they are all assuming Byleth can hold the Sword of the Creator in battle without the crest stone.”

“But what if that isn’t quite it? What if its something else? Like the Crest Stones aren’t stones at all, but hearts.” 

Claude blinked at her, not sure if reading all the old historical texts deep in the Abyss, a location he had just found out about recently, had messed with her head. Of course, he would not deny that stranger things have happened in the history of Fódlan; but for the Crest Stones to be the Elite’s hearts? That just…that just sounded too gruesome, to cruel. Especially if all the nobles with crests were running around swinging the weapons around like maniacs. 

“It would make sense in a strange sort of way,” She said, pausing before sitting down beside him on the vacant stone ledge. They were looking out over the fishing pond, far enough away from everyone else but close enough that if they really tried to listen, they could hear all the blasphemous goings on of the next leader of the Alliance and some no name vagabond picked up by the church. “The power one holds is based within the energy they have in their heart. These ancestors of the royal families in Fódlan were the strongest of the bunch; the first with Crests and the first to wield these crazy weapons. If their hearts were pulled out for those later on, that would explain the immense power of all these Relics.” 

She paused, not starting the next trail of thoughts he could visibly see on her face. Her eyes trailed over something behind him, causing him to turn towards the market area near the front of the church grounds. 

There was the Professor and Dimitri, walking side by side with their heads tucked down towards one another. An idiot could see the two of them had feelings; pining towards the other as though they were complete strangers looking from afar and not basically married already. Byleth’s strange eyes, hazy and unfocused by all seeing nonetheless looked up for a moment, like she could sense people were looking at her; before she shook her head with a small smile and continued up the steps and out of sight into the front hall with Dimitri by her side. 

“You just can’t help but wonder if my hypothesis is true, how did she end up with the Crest Stone of the Sword of the Creator inside of her?” 


End file.
